


The Paperback Wizard

by TearfulSolace



Series: The Paperback Wizard [1]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Almost death, Alternate Universe - Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Monster Hunters, Autistic Caleb Widogast, Caleb has had years of therapy, Caleb typical backstory trauma, Canon-Typical Violence, Combat, Complete, Completed, Coping Mechanisms, Flashbacks, Graphic Description of Corpses, Gun Violence, Haunting, Homelessness, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Motorcycle Accident, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Implied/Referenced mixing drugs and alcohol, M/M, Medium Burn, Murder Mystery, Please read notes for chapter warnings, Recovery, Referenced canonical character death, Robbery, Shooting, Supernatural vibes, Therapy, These will update as I post to avoid spoilers, Witchcraft, c1 spoilers, haunted, poltergeist summoning, scientific description of a corpse, seance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-05
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:13:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 67,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23502169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TearfulSolace/pseuds/TearfulSolace
Summary: Haunted by a tragedy that made him realize that life is short, Caleb has retired from the secret world of monster hunting to seek a new life in a new city. He soon meets a tiefling who threatens to pull him back into a life of mysticism and danger.Now, Caleb must navigate his fragile mental health, the stress of running a business far from his found-family, and feelings that he hasn't experienced in nearly a decade.Can Caleb keep his head above water, or will he find himself drowning?(Now a complete work.)
Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf & Yasha, Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast, Nott & Caleb Widogast, background Fjord/Jester Lavorre
Series: The Paperback Wizard [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691098
Comments: 319
Kudos: 306





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This is it. This is the labor of love that I have officially been working on for over a year. I pitched the idea for this in Jan 2019 to a friend on Tumblr. 
> 
> The base is Critical Role, but has elements of Dresden Files (TVshow), Supernatural (TVshow) and Witcher (TVshow and games) mixed in. 
> 
> For the romance, this is a Widomauk fic through and through. But I'm not a fan of love at first sight, nor am I a huge fan of long, strung out misunderstanding slow burn. I like to think that this fic is based more on the reality side, showing two lost souls spending time together and developing feelings that neither of them quite know how to handle in the midst of their own mental issues. 
> 
> I need to thank GayshitIguess on Tumblr for helping with my original idea. I also need to thank both Mar and CodeSculptor1 on the Widomauk discord for helping beta this monster of a fic, and helping me become a better author.

The sun was just hitting the horizon when the last boxes were moved from the U-Haul and through the glass doors of his new store in Austin, Texas. Caleb Widogast paused in the doorway and watched as the movers set the last bookshelf down mostly where he had asked them to place it. It would take a few hours in the morning and probably several pulled muscles before he’d get them just right. The movers shuffled out with polite goodbyes and closed the door behind themselves. 

Caleb breathed a sigh of relief. Over 1200 miles in a U-Haul with a stranger and a lead box in his lap was 1200 miles too many, but he couldn't be more excited to say goodbye to Arcadia. He'd spent the last several years in that cesspool of a city fighting for his life, barely surviving, and he was ready to move on from the heartbreak he’d left behind. Not everyone got to survive long enough to get out.

"Nott?" He opened the lead box he had insisted ride with him during the move and had set on the store counter the moment they arrived. Inside were a few important documents, a very rare book, a Scooby-Doo pencil, and a small goblin skull. "How are you feeling, _schatz_?" He pulled out the pencil, putting it behind his ear, then took up the goblin skull, which was covered in arcane symbols scratched into the surface. As he locked the container, putting it back under the counter, a fine grey-white mist emerged from the eyes of the skull and solidified next to him into a small goblin girl. 

She stood only about three feet tall, her hair dark and greasy, her yellow eyes wide. "Like I've been jostled in a box for two and a half days...." Nott made a show of stretching, though they both knew she didn't need to, as he began to lock the door. 

"I know, _liebchen_ . But we talked about this before; it was probably better for everyone involved that you not appear suddenly and scare the driver of the large truck we were riding in, _ja_?" Caleb placed the skull on top of one of the small boxes labeled ‘linens’ and lifted them both before ascending the stairs tucked away in the back corner of the store. 

"Yeah yeah, don't scare the mortals. Anyway, this place is pretty snazzy." The goblin form disappeared for a beat then reappeared at the first landing of the stairs. "You're gonna live here too?!" she asked excitedly before disappearing again as Caleb turned onto the second flight of stairs. He could hear her voice again as she called out to him. "You're living your dream, Caleb! You own a bookstore, _and_ you get to sleep in it!"

Caleb came to the top of the stairs and chuckled, " _Ja_ , I suppose I am." The room he stepped into had a couch and two armchairs pushed against one wall, with another five bookshelves shoved into a cubby-like office space created by the shapes of the bedroom and bathroom. They were surrounded by a virtual mountain of boxes labeled ‘personal books’, and a small TV on a modest table pushed against the outside facing wall, leaving the center of the room filled with boxes with various labels. All of this was in what would be considered a living room directly in front of the stairs. Immediately to his right was a small kitchenette and an island with more boxes labeled ‘kitchen’. 

He passed through that room and into the small bedroom to find Nott acting as though she was jumping up and down on the bed - luckily the movers had assembled it for him - although the bed showed no movement when her feet made contact. Caleb placed the linens he had been carrying on a heavy, wooden chest set at the foot of his bed - habitually reaching out with his magic to test that the Arcane Locks on it had not been tampered with - and flipped the light switch. 

"I think I will make the bed and retire for the night. Will you be okay 'til morning?" He placed the skull on the nightstand in the far corner of the room, between the bed and the wall, and began pulling out sheets and a thin blanket from the box to make the bed. 

Nott stepped off the bed to stand next to him. "Of course I'll be alright. I'm dead." She gave him a toothy grin. "I'll test the limits of my bindings and see how far I can reach in the store while you sleep. Maybe spy on the neighbors, if I can reach."

Caleb gave her a small smile as he attempted to find some clothing he had packed away in the main room. " _Danke_ , Nott. We will need to find a safe place for your skull where you can reach everywhere in the store. And also, I will need to get those shelves in the proper places. The movers were really quite careless." 

He entered the bathroom just off the living room to change and continued talking through the slightly cracked open door. "Once I get the shelves right - which may take most of the day - I can start getting the books set up. Luckily, Gilmore and I packed them by category, so that should be easy, though time consuming. Then I can get started on warding the place." When he exited the bathroom - in a clean, if slightly wrinkled, long sleeved shirt that said ‘Not Today’ with a sleepy kitty across the front, paired with his favorite plaid pajama pants and the Scooby-Doo pencil twirling between his fingers, Nott had taken to looking out of the windows down to the street. Caleb joined her, looking out beyond the buildings to the skyline. 

"It's a beautiful city, isn't it?" he asked in a quiet voice, the pencil stilling in his hand. 

"Not sure yet; I haven't seen much of it," came her easy reply, although Caleb could hear the faint sound of sadness that often accompanied talk of her confinement.

"True... After I get the store in the right condition to open, we can take walks around and explore the area on the weekends, _ober_?" He turned to his best friend and gave her a sad smile. "This will be a new beginning for us. It will be good for us both, I hope." After sharing a moment more at the window together, Caleb made his way to his new bedroom, placed his pencil next to Nott's skull, and snapped his fingers. A heavy ball of ginger fur materialized on his pillow, and Caleb collapsed face-first onto his mattress to recover from a long day. 


	2. New Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb and Nott try to start settling into their new norm. After getting the store open, they take some time to explore the state museum together to get to know their new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first chapter doesn't have a lot of plot in it, sorry. It's mostly self-indulgent Nott & Caleb time that when I wrote this I needed in my life desperately. The story really starts next chapter. 
> 
> So fun fact, This is a real museum in Austin, Texas that I actually went to, and took pictures and notes about. Unfortunately, I lost all the photos in a phone change, BUT if you go to the ending notes there's a fun story! If you enjoy, I can share stories about what was going on in my life while I was writing some of the chapters in future endnotes. 
> 
> Thanks again to Code and Mar for beta-ing and putting up with this crazy journey.

**One Week Later**

"Nott! Did you see where I put my coffee?" Caleb was at the front counter, going over last minute paperwork and the information for opening day. "I swear, if my head wasn't attached..." he muttered to himself.

"It's up here, Caleb. On the kitchen counter," Nott called from upstairs.

Caleb stopped rummaging through his papers and looked at where a fresh ring of coffee was on the desk. "On the..." He put the papers down and walked towards the stairs. "That's impossible, I brought it down with me," Caleb called back as he made his way up. Sure enough, as he rounded the partition, Caleb's cat coffee mug was sitting on the counter, still steaming. "How...?" He reached for it, shaking his head. "This move is going to be the death of me. I'm ready for this first day to be over already." Caleb stopped at the top of the stairs as he caught a glimpse of Nott in the bathroom, staring into the mirror.

He put the coffee back on the counter and leaned on the door frame as Nott changed her glamor for probably the hundredth time. "Can't decide?" his voice was soft and fond, laced with concern.

"Of course I can't decide, Caleb! You're letting me help with the store for the first time, so I need a face to put forth every day for the rest of  _ your  _ life!" She changed again from a gnomish woman to an old halfling woman, each change bringing more panic. She shook her head with a grimace and turned back into her normal Goblin self, looking up at him. "I need to look friendly, and whatever I choose will be what I need to look like all the time so people recognize me as your employee."

Caleb nodded along with her logic. "True. But if you don't like what you choose, you can always change it later and just say you're a new employee. Especially now at the start. We don't have regulars yet. No harm no foul,  _ ja _ ?"

"I guess you're right...." She turned back to the mirror. "I'll think of something."

"You do that,  _ schatz _ . I'll be downstairs; we open in twenty minutes." He grabbed his coffee and headed back down to the desk to finish his papers before the doors opened at 8 o’clock.

***

"Hi, welcome to Paperback Wizard, where the magic happens." It was 10 am, and this was already their twelfth customer. Things were looking promising. Caleb smiled as the half-elf wandered down the center aisle, browsing. "Let me know if you need help finding anything." They gave a polite nod and disappeared into the shelves. Caleb could hear Nott speaking quietly to another customer about which book they should choose.

Caleb took a deep breath and smiled.  _ This is perfect _ , he thought before going back to reading his own book at the counter.

***

"Excuse me, sir?" An older human woman was trying to get his attention.

"Yes, ma'am. Are you ready to check out?"

"Yes, but I wanted to tell you there's some kid back there. Knocked a book right out of my hand and ran off." The look on her face told Caleb she was very serious.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'll get my assistant to check it out." He turned towards the shelves. "Nott!" He called, "can you check for someone playing around back there?" He turned back to the woman and started writing out a receipt, including a 10% discount. "Again, I am so sorry. I'm including a small discount. I assure you we don't encourage that kind of behavior here." He gave a friendly smile and to his relief she returned it.

"Thank you young man." She took her change and left the store, still smiling.

After she left, Caleb made his way around the desk and went down the center aisle, "Nott, did you find anyone messing around?"

Nott appeared at the bottom of the steps. "Nope. I even checked upstairs in case they ran up. There's just the one customer over at the table."

"That's odd. They must've left already. Keep an eye out for someone playing jokes. I don't want that to be what we are known for." He started walking back to the front of the store, Nott trailing behind him. She had chosen a tanned skin, plump-faced halfling woman with brunette hair as her disguise. She had freckles and braids that trailed down in front of her shoulders, with bright brown eyes.

As he took his seat on the stool at the counter, he turned back to her. "How's the day going so far? Having fun?" He smiled as he watched her browse some of the titles on the shelf near the front.

"Oh, this is much better than being locked in your room or Gil's workshop. I'm actually talking to people, Cay!" Nott turned to him, and her smile was so wide she could have blinded him if she tried. "It's been a while since I got to talk to so many people! It's just been you and Gil and Frumpkin for a while." She came around the front of the desk still beaming with joy and she made a show of leaning on the counter, her chin in her hands. "But now I get to meet all kinds of people and listen to them talking! And I get to tell them about all the books you've taught me about! Speaking of, where is Frumpkin?"

"Oh, he's in his dimension. I'm not sure if it's okay to have him out in the shop. I know  _ he  _ is well behaved, but I'm not so sure about the customers. Also, some of them may not like cats." He started tapping his fingers on the desk anxiously, trying to ignore the urge to summon his cat now that he'd been mentioned. "I'm very glad you've been having a good day. If things go well, you won't have to hide anymore. I need the help in the shop, and you deserve to have some form of normalcy. Where I can provide it, at least. Just don’t expect to get paid,” he added with a smile. 

Nott grinned. “But I could use the money. I’m dead broke.”

Caleb snorted in laughter. He shifted his gaze to the street that he could see through the windows as cars whizzed by before he continued. "We're doing it, Nott. We moved from home and opened a store. I am no longer in ridiculously unnecessary danger, and nothing is going bad yet. And the best part is, even if something happens, I actually feel like I can handle it for once. And if not, I know Gilmore is only a call away to walk me through it. We're going to be okay here. I have a good feeling."

When he looked back down at her, she had a proud smile etched on her face. She reached over to pat his hand. Where their skin would connect, Caleb felt a slight breeze, cool to the touch, but no solid contact. "That's my boy. Keep that positivity, and we  _ will  _ be okay."

***

Caleb clicked the locks into place and flipped the sign on the door from OPEN to CLOSED. He breathed a sigh of relief. Day one complete; no-one had gotten mauled, no-one had fallen to their death, no-one had run away screaming, and nothing had caught fire. He felt a smile slowly spread across his face, and he started laughing, quietly at first, then bursting forth from his mouth in a joyous sound. 

Nott appeared next to him in her goblin form and tilted her head like a cat. "Um, Cay? Are you alright? Should I call Dr. Trickfoot?"

Caleb shook his head and reigned in his laughter. "No no, I am fine. I just had a thought: if you asked me five years ago,  _ nein _ , even one year ago, where I would be? I would not have answered 'the heart of Texas, in my own bookstore with my best friend.’" He turned from the door and made a move to ruffle her ethereal hair, but she ducked out of the way. He was still smiling as he made sure the safe and the glass case holding the spell books behind the counter were locked, then grabbed his current book and headed up the stairs.

"What would you have said? If I asked you five years ago, or a year ago?" asked Nott as she followed him.

"Well, five years ago? I would've said 'in a psychiatric facility' or maybe even 'dead under a bridge’. A year ago? Hmm. With my previous job, I would've probably still said 'dead under a bridge'. Killed by an axebeak, or a crocotta most likely." He huffed out a humorless laugh. "But no more. All that crazy 'hunting the things that go bump anytime of day or night' is behind us. A quiet life is all I need. My books, my cat, and my goblin skull."

By this point he had made it to the top of the stairs and was wandering his way over to the couch to watch the evening news and catch up on what this city had to offer, like any normal human with a magic cat and goblin-spirit best friend would do.

***

The week passed quickly after the Grand Opening day. Besides a few more complaints about someone playing pranks in the store - a claim neither Nott nor Caleb were able to confirm yet - things were going smoothly, and Caleb planned to set a trap or a magical surveillance to catch the prankster if it continued.

The weekend brought a chance for them to explore the city. They had heard of the Texas Memorial Museum nearby, and Caleb was quite interested in exploring it. He didn't have any specific interests he was hoping to find at the museum, but he would happily take advantage of any excuse to learn. Besides, he'd never been to Texas, and he was pretty sure Nott hadn't been either.

Caleb was already dressed in his jeans and pink hoodie that sported a cat face on the front and ears on the hood. "Nott, do you remember where I put the keys? I can't seem to find them..." He had already searched his previously discarded jeans in the laundry, as well as the kitchen drawers. He was now searching his desk drawers. "Since we haven't really left much, I haven't used them, and I just can't...."

Nott came into the office space with a new disguise. Her hair was a light brown with a reddish tint and slightly wavy, very close to his own hair. Her skin was pale, and she had a scattered painting of freckles across her cheeks. Her eyes were a startling blue, again, very similar to his own. Overall, Nott looked like a human child about the age of 10. "What do you think, Cay?"

Caleb was stunned for a moment. He had never seen her use this disguise before, and it pulled at his heart to see it now. "You look just like me when I was young. Are you my sister today? Or....?" He was a little embarrassed to say 'my daughter' out loud to a grown woman who was also his best friend.

"Well. I can't call you ‘Caleb’ if you're my dad." She made a face. "Ew. No, I can't call you 'dad'. Nope. Nuh uh." He chuckled at her discomfort but felt himself relax.

" _ Ja _ , okay.  _ Meine schwester _ , Nott. I like that." He smiled at her fondly. "Now, sister, have you seen the keys?"

She smiled back. "Not since you went and got groceries on Wednesday. Are they downstairs on the counter?"

Caleb hummed in contemplation. "They shouldn't be, but I'll go check." A few moments later, he came back upstairs with a concerned expression and began checking the drawers in the kitchen again. "Where could they be.....?" Nott could see the anxiety monster was starting to wiggle into their day.

"Hey, Caleb." She  approached him as his searching became more and more frantic. "Relax. I can lock the door when we leave, and then we can find the keys when we get back, okay?"

Caleb forced his eyes to close and to take a breath to get his anxiety back under control. "You are right, Nott." He opened his eyes. "I can find them later. It’s early, and the weather is nice. Let’s just go enjoy the city." He smiled at her as he gathered his messenger bag. In it he had Nott's skull, carefully wrapped and placed inside a protective cage "I have been looking forward to this."

"That's the spirit." She grinned back at him as they made their way downstairs.

When they got to the front door, Caleb stepped out into the cool March air, where people and cars had begun to crowd the streets as they started their late mornings. He closed the door and looked around to see if anyone was watching before calling to Nott. "Okay, come on out." He heard the locks on the door engage, and the grey-white mist that was his best friend streamed out from under the door and solidified back into Nott, disguised as his sister. "We can take the bus to the museum; it's only about a 15 minute ride from here. You ready?"

" _ Ja _ !" Nott replied enthusiastically, in a mock of his accent.

***

They exited the bus on the corner of Trinity and San Jacinto, a short walk from the museum. Nott was fascinated by all the greenery and by how many people were out. People were walking, on bikes, some zooming by on scooters - all of them wearing backpacks.

"Cay. Is this a college campus?" She watched as a mixed-race group of young adults huddled over a phone to watch something as they passed. The dwarf in the group laughed boisterously at the screen.

" _ Ja _ . It is part of the University of Texas. The campus covers a very large portion of the downtown area. Even the State Capital building is here. Not technically part of the campus, but it might as well be with how close it is."

"Oh. That's cool!" She was quiet for a moment, taking in the surroundings as they made their way towards the museum. "Um. Did - did you ever go to a place like this? You're very smart; it seems like you might belong in a school setting."

Caleb didn’t answer at first. He kept walking, Nott at his side. His hands fidgeted with the strap of his bag, and he pointedly stared straight ahead. " _ Ja _ . I did. In Florida. I went to a place like this." His voice seemed... nostalgically regretful. "But it was not for me. That is how I ended up where Gilmore found me." 

Nott knew that Gilmore had found Caleb homeless on the streets. He had been a frightened mess of a man when Gil had brought him home. "Oh. I... I didn't know that, Caleb. I'm sorry." She did her best to keep up the illusion of walking as she tried to keep up with his longer stride. She could move much faster when she just floated everywhere.

Caleb slowed as they approached the steps of the Texas State Memorial Museum. The building was a large, looming structure, cut from the Texas limestone found throughout the region. The building was angular, like a giant cube that had been dropped into the center of the greenery surrounding it.  He looked up the steps and was delighted to see that a life-sized, bronze statue of a saber-toothed cat sat just in front of the doors. He peered down at his companion with a sad smile. "It's alright, Nott. Let's just enjoy the museum."

The doors were heavy, solid bronze, turned green from age and weathering. The entrance, a small antechamber-like room, was a little dark with the old fashioned lighting, but Caleb picked up a map from the little table next to the door and ascended the three steps into the main lobby. An older, half-orc woman, her grey hair in a bun, greeted them. "Welcome to TMM. Is this your first visit?" She was smiling brightly, and she seemed friendly enough.

"Yes, ma'am. My sister and I just moved here from out of state and would like to learn some interesting facts." Caleb smiled at the woman and began searching for his wallet in his bag, while Nott pretended to be shy, hiding her face in his side. "One adult, one child please." While she did not need to hide, she figured that being shy was the best way to avoid people talking to her.

The elderly half-orc smiled at Nott before taking Caleb's money. "Cute kid," She stage whispered, and Caleb nodded at her. 

"The cutest," he agreed, and he felt Nott poke him gently in the side.

The woman pointed out a few interesting exhibits on the map that he had grabbed before they turned to begin their tour. They decided to take the elevator to the top and work their way down. 

The third floor was called ‘The Hall of Texas Wildlife’, and immediately to their right as they exited the elevator was a short hall with  taxidermied  animals labeled ‘Endangered and Threatened Species’. Most of the fluorescent lights were dim, in a slightly ominous way, but the exhibits were brightly lit and easy to see. Caleb was immediately drawn towards a puma, posed as if it were pouncing. "Look at how big that Frumpkin is," he joked and was delighted to hear Nott share a chuckle with him.

Nott was working her way down the hall, cooing at the cute, fluffy rabbits and weasels, and even one giant weasel. Caleb was still admiring the large wildcat when Nott burst into laughter, and he shifted to see her nearly doubled over pointing at the glass. He peered into the exhibit and had to bite his tongue in an attempt to stop himself from joining her. 

" _ Was ist es, Schwester _ ?" His voice was strained from trying to keep a straight face.

"Don't - _was ist_ _es_ \- me, Caleb." She was struggling to get her words out between breaths. "That turkey has a ball sack for a face!" She doubled back over and was lost to the laughter as Caleb finally joined her.

"Shush, shush." He finally managed around his own laughter. "You are terrible. And you are  _ ten _ . Behave." They eventually managed to move on to a display with blood hawks and cockatrice before continuing on. 

When they finally left the first hall, they turned left, heading away from the elevator this time. This hall had reptiles in replica habitats, and Nott was commenting on how the fake feed rats looked delicious. Across from the reptile displays were two little rooms, one with a blue light emanating from it coupled with the sounds of a waterfall, and Nott was more than happy to stand at the entrance as Caleb went in. She didn't miss much; it was mostly replicas of common fish and monstrous creatures you could find in the rivers and streams of Texas, but neither of them had any use for fishing, and Caleb already recognized all the replica monsters. He did find some of the scientific samples in formaldehyde interesting to read about, though.

The next room Nott rushed into and almost immediately disappeared if not for her currently pale skin. The lights were off, and the music of crickets and Texas cicadas permeated the room. The displays were lit only by the hall light and a very faint purple bulb in each exhibit. The room itself was relaxing, the sound reminding him of several nights camping with his friends.

"Squirrels fly?!" Nott nearly shrieked, pointing into a darkened display with a Southern Flying Squirrel, it's little hands outstretched and skin drawn taught between it's tiny paws to look like wings.

"They do not actually fly. They more like... glide. They get on very high branches, then jump. And they can glide quite a ways to a lower branch, sometimes on a totally different tree." Animals were not Caleb's specialty, but he did enjoy sharing what he knew, and Nott seemed so excited to learn about things she had never seen before.

They cooed at how cute the raccoon display was before moving into the next room at the end of the hall, mostly dominated by bird exhibits. The display in the center of the room caught his attention. A large pelican with its wings spread out shadowed over a few smaller birds. One of them was an odd little thing. 

"Nott, come look at this bird." It's feet had four long, thin toes, reminding him of spider legs. The face had a long, thin beak that was bright yellow. Just above the beak was a little bony shield-like shape between its eyes. But this wasn’t the weirdest part that caught his attention. "Look at its wings, Nott. Are those spikes?"

"Woah. That's one weird looking bird. Look at its toes! It's so creepy! Northern Jacana." Nott read from the plaque. "And it says here that those things on its wings are called 'carpal spurs'. Weird." They admired the bird and its neighbors for a few moments longer before deciding to head down to the second floor. 

The second floor was called ‘Natural Wonders and Treasures’. Nott was immediately drawn to the main display in the center of the room. 

"Look, Cay! It's so pretty!" The display case was only about one cubic foot, but inside was a clear blue topaz the size of his fist. The lights in the case were placed just so to make it sparkle brilliantly. "It says here it weighs more than a full can of soda! I've never seen one that big before."

"That is actually quite impressive." He read over the plaque before moving on to a flat display case with several smaller minerals and gems. When Nott finally tore herself away from the large topaz, she also made her way to the case, pointing out the shiniest gems. Once again, several smaller topazes caught both their eyes as they passed, some so clear they looked like diamonds. Another mineral that caught his attention was a palm-sized piece of stone. It was not shiny at all, in fact it was very matte. The plaque informed him that it was a lazurite from Afghanistan, but the name didn't matter. The color is what he noticed: a beautiful lilac purple, speckled with white, and he was instantly sure that this was his favorite stone.

There was an array of crystals mixed in with the collection. A few he recognized from Gilmore's place, though he hadn’t worked with them himself. He identified rutilated quartz, black obsidian, and jet as banishment stones, black tourmaline and onyx for protection, and a few others for healing and so forth. They even had a transmutation stone from a famous Texan wizard from the early 1900's on display. 

As they made their way around the room, even Caleb was impressed by the beauty the earth offers up. Dioptase, malachite, wulfenite: all these beautiful stones created by the living planet they were on, formed over millions of years by pressure and heat and minerals and eventually pushed to the surface or dug up by mankind. Sometimes science blew him away more than the arcane. 

In the far corner of the room, on a pedestal, sat a large, amethyst geode, cracked in half and left open to view the inside. The formation was large enough that if Nott had been corporeal, she could have crawled inside, sealed it, and still had room to wiggle.

"Oh, Caleb, take a picture and send it to Gilmore!" She ran over to stand in front of it and threw her arms up and out, showing her full size. He pulled out the old smartphone he brought in his bag and snapped a few pictures. The thing about Nott being a spirit was that sometimes pictures with her didn't take quite right, so it was best to take a few. He showed her the least wispy one and, after receiving her approval, sent it to their friends. 

_ Gil, Kiki, Lady De Rolo, and 4 others _

March 23rd, 2019

11:36  **FireHobo** : [attachment sent]

11:36  **FireHobo** : Nott and I went to the museum today. She wanted to show you how big this geode is. 

He put the phone away instead of waiting for a reply. 

After they finished exploring the floor, they went back to the elevator to go down to the last floor. Caleb noticed now that the elevator had some old-timey touches, its panels and buttons in brass, with a trim around the walls that spoke to the original, early 1900s design. It made a slight creaking sound as it ambled downward, and he realized this elevator may be the original from when the building had been erected. It had a sort of charm to it.

When the elevator opened this time, they were greeted with a crude diorama of the floor, explaining the best way to follow the exhibits in order. Caleb realized with a spark of excitement that this floor was called ‘Geology and Paleontology’.  _ Dinosaurs _ .

Following the diorama took them first to a side room with meteorites. As interesting as they were, after reading a plaque or two, Nott and Caleb both moved onto the early sea life, but once again shuffled on quite quickly into the main exhibit room. 

The center of the room had a large display with several skeletal mammals; a glass fence surrounding them. All four walls of the main exhibit, besides entrances, also had smaller displays, labeled with the period and years that could be observed in each section.

Caleb, however, only had eyes for the little sign that said Saber-Tooth. "Extra, extra large Frumpkin," Caleb joked as he looked at the cat skeleton that was nearly as tall as him. 

Nott snickered as she watched him grin from ear-to-ear. When she shifted back to observe the large cat, she realized that the skeleton next to it, nearly half the saber's size, was a dire wolf. "Look! I thought dire wolves were huge, look at how small it is next to the Frumpkin!" She pointed it out and watched as Caleb looked back and forth in the lobby with a mischievous grin, making sure no one was watching, and snapped Frumpkin into his arms. Frumpkin began purring immediately, and looked around with disinterest. 

"Look at that, friend. That is your ancestor." Nott watched with amusement as the grown man she had seen fight for his life, and survive through hell, whispered to his fey cat. "Cats have always been better. And those teeth could grow to be nearly a foot long! They could roar so fiercely because of a special bone in their mouth, and would live up to 40 years. You will live much longer because you are even better, but isn't that cool?"

Nott continued looking at some of the other exhibits. There was a skeleton of a baby dragon hanging from the ceiling that was easily thirty feet long from wing tip to wing tip, posed to look like it was flying through the air. There was even a replica T-Rex skull she could probably sit inside of. Before going too far, she circled back around to get Caleb's attention. "Look! They have a paleontology lab on site!"

Unfortunately, the lab was closed on Saturdays, but they had a few things under slides they could look at, and Caleb spent plenty of time observing the samples, and then helping Nott to look through as well. What really made the lab interesting was two pieces of furniture that were almost like dressers. They stood across from each other, each consisting of over 40 drawers with a sign that offered the chance to ‘Identify Your Fossil’, with a colored map that showed the regions of the state; each drawer color coded and labeled. 

Caleb and Nott spent a few minutes opening drawers with interesting labels, not really looking for anything specific. When they finally wandered out of the lab, Nott gasped and ran, in true 10-year-old fashion, to a corner they hadn't explored yet. Standing there behind a glass case, was the shell of a turtle easily as tall as Caleb, and as wide as his arm span. "Oh wow. That is a  _ big  _ turtle...." he said.

"It's a Giant Sea Turtle from McLennan County. Hey that's like an hour north of here, right?" Nott turned up to Caleb and he nodded to her. "Send another picture please!"

Caleb laughed. "What is with you and pictures of things bigger than you?" He dug his phone back out and clicked a few more pictures, then decided. 

"Excuse me?" He called out to a half-elf woman nearby. "Could you please take a picture of me and my sister? You'll have to snap a few, my camera is a little blurry." He held out the old phone to the woman and she agreed. Caleb knelt in front of the turtle shell and Nott stood in front of his right shoulder, their heights near similar in this position. 

When the woman gave him the phone back, he flipped through the pictures with Nott. Caleb's smile was shy and soft, Nott's was all teeth. They chose one to send to the group chat and he sent it off before looking at the messages from the other photo. 

11:38  **Kiki:** oh that's a very cool find! she looks so happy!

11:38  **Prof Grog:** that thig is huge

11:38  **Meat Man:** That's what she said.

11:39  **Lady De Rolo:** Scanlan, not in the group chat, please.

13:23  **FireHobo:** [attachment sent] 

Before he managed to put the phone in his bag he felt it buzz.

13:24  **Prof Grog:** thats big to

13:24  **Lady De Rolo:** You look so handsome when you smile dear.

13:24  **Monstah:** You both look very happy. I'm so proud of you Caleb. 

He was about to put the phone away but it buzzed a few more times.

13:24  **Meat Man:** (to Grog) That's what she said. 

13:24  **Lady De Rolo:** Scanlan.

He showed Nott the messages and they both laughed before finishing their round of the floor, and Caleb tried his best to not let it show how much his heart hurt from missing their friends. 

Once they finished their rounds, they headed to the gift shop where Caleb bought a pamphlet about the prehistoric mammals and a small bag of ‘pick your rocks’ consisting of as many quartz crystals as he could dig out of the display. They waved goodbye to the half-orc woman still at the front desk, and Caleb spotted a very lush, green hill across the way between a few buildings. "Come on,  _ liebling _ . It's still early, and we can enjoy the weather." He began walking in that direction, his eyes set on a large oak in the center of the field. 

"My school had a courtyard like this," he ruminated as he sat under the tree, patting the space next to him for Nott to sit with him. "My friends and I would sit there between classes and study, or eat our lunch." He became quiet once more and flipped through the little pamphlet he had bought, but he did not settle on any particular page. Nott recognized the look on his face as one of sadness. It was the one he wore when thinking about the time before he joined Gilmore's family. "We were very close, once. It has been years since I've seen them."

"You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. If it's too hard. But I’d like to know about them?" She sat with him under the tree, watching as all the people passed by.  He hummed an acknowledgment, still not looking at her. "Maybe not all of it today, _ ja _ ? But... those calm moments were very nice. We would talk about our days, and our classes. It was really like a haven in that.. in that pit of despair it became later on." Caleb finally decided on a page, "Now, let’s learn more about that giant saber-tooth." He began to read aloud, and Nott laid down on the soft grass and watched the leaves overhead sway gently with the breeze.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I live near to Austin. On my day off I decided I would go to this museum for research on my story. Also, because there's something so nostalgic and peaceful about alone time in a museum. 
> 
> Anyway, I drove out there by myself and parked in a parking garage. I went to the Texas Memorial Museum without incident. But before leaving I asked if there were any other places nearby I could visit. They suggested two other places. 
> 
> One of them was quite boring, but the other was only a mile away and had some promise. But parking is atrocious in Austin and I did not want to move my car and have to pay for parking it somewhere else. 
> 
> SO. I, in my infinite wisdom, and my plus-sized body, rented a Lyft scooter....
> 
> I'd never done so. It was kinda fun at first. Rolling around the beautiful UT campus. 
> 
> Until I hit a deep crack in the road, overcorrected, and went flying chest first into the ground. Luckily no one was around, so I was able to limp over to the side of the road and sit while trying to convince my lungs that I wasn't in-fact dying. I wanted to stop right then. Just cry for a minute and crawl back to my car to ice my knee at home. 
> 
> But I knew, if I left, I would not come back. So I let myself breathe for a minute, got back on the scooter, and finished my ride to the other museum. This one was a place my school went to for trips all the time so it was really interesting to see it as an adult. And I'm glad I went. I had a lot of fun with the interactive exhibits and just enjoying a quite trip. I even rented another scooter and rode back to my car without incident. 
> 
> I was really proud of myself for this research trip.


	3. A Haunting in Texas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Opening week progresses with a few strange occurrences. Enter a psychic from a few doors down that has some interesting news. Caleb does some magic and meets his new 'roommate'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enter Molly! Here we get to meet our tief!! 
> 
> This is also where to story starts to have an actual plot! I've also updated the tags to include wicca-style magic and therapy themes. See end notes for some info about this chapter. 
> 
> The title is a horrible parody of Haunting in Connecticut. 
> 
> Thanks again for my lovely beta's Mar and Code. I owe you both so much!
> 
> You can also see the layout of Caleb's store/loft apt here: https://tearfulsolace.tumblr.com/post/615122730345447424/the-paperback-wizard-tearfulsolace-critical

Sunday found Caleb awake bright and early in the storeroom - he was sorting through a few of the boxes they were not quite able to fit on the shelves out front, trying to decide if any of the books should be out there somehow, despite the space constraints. It was always hard for him to choose what books he thought would sell better. Caleb did not always agree with popular demand, and the books he enjoyed were hardly ever an opinion shared by the populace. He had created a makeshift desk out of some boxes and stacks of books with a stool to sit on and was making a list to help him decide, a technique Dr. Trickfoot had helped him find. 

"Nott, we need to order more books from the teen romance genre. They are big sellers here, and we only have two shelves." He was walking around the room, taking an updated inventory of the boxes. 

"Teen romance, got it." Nott was in the storefront, helping him compare what he had in the back to what they had on the shelves. 

"Also engineering. We have books on most of the other sciences, but we are lacking on the engineering topics...." Caleb made his way back to where he had left his stool and 'desk' and took a seat without looking as he wrote on his notepad. As he sat, he had a moment of clarity, as he felt nothing but air beneath him, and with a flurry of swinging arms and a yelp he found himself on his back on the floor; stunned. Caleb’s eyes were wide, and he breathed heavily for a moment before Nott appeared in the doorway. 

"Caleb? What happened?" She shuffled her way to him and reached her hand out as if to help him up before she pulled it back to her side with a strange expression on her face. Caleb made it to his feet on his own, dusting his jeans off. 

"I... I don't know. I was just sitting..." He looked around and saw his stool on the other side of the room, "on my stool.... I don't..." He glanced back at the makeshift desk. "I had it right here... I... I must be more tired then I realized." He picked up his notebook and scowled as he dragged the stool back over. 

"Are you sure, Caleb?" Nott didn't seem to be buying it, but there really wasn’t anything to buy. Caleb wasn't sure what was happening. 

" _Ja ja_ , we will go to bed early tonight, and I will be okay tomorrow. But for now, let's finish up this inventory, alright?" He gave her a smile as he took his seat and continued to make notes in his notepad. 

***

Monday morning started as a peaceful day. He had enjoyed some chamomile tea the night before and had gotten plenty of sleep, so he hadn't even misplaced his coffee. 

Caleb still found himself checking corners for shadow creatures out of habit and nervously twirling his pencil when he had to go into the storage room alone. He hoped that, with time, his paranoia would subside and he could relax more. He had spent too many years checking over his shoulder and under beds for monsters that he had almost forgotten what the real world was like. There were still scary things in Austin, he was sure of that; but the things here weren't gunning for him specifically like they had been back in Arcadia, and for that he was thankful.

He opened the shop at 8 o'clock and sat at the counter, reading a copy of 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' in German. It had been his mother's favorite book, and so it was pretty high on his list of favorites as well. He had set a book of fairy tales on the table in the reading nook and opened the cover so Nott could use her limited ability to move small things to turn the pages. She was mostly restricted to turning pages of books, rolling pens on tables or floors, and flipping locks on doors. Anything requiring more strength than that, and she couldn't usually do it. 

There had only been two customers so far, and it was approaching 10 o'clock when the door chimed and a purple tiefling entered, wearing blue, harem-style pants and a crop top that said ‘TODAY I'LL BE AS USELESS AS THE 'G' IN LASAGNA’. Caleb's first thought was, _why would you wear a shirt like that to a bookstore,_ but he was distracted by the man’s horns, decorated in gold charms and clinking lightly. From where Caleb sat, he could make out several moons and stars, a hamsa, and a seeing eye, among others.

One of the tiefling's arms was covered in colored ink, including a snake that wound around the inside of his forearm and down to his hand. The other had thin, silvery scars that Caleb quickly identified as something they had in common, and he looked away from them so he wouldn't seem rude. In his hurry to look somewhere else, Caleb found himself face to face with the man. His eyes were a crimson red, seeming to have an endless depth to them. He felt like he was getting pulled into those eyes, and he couldn't look away. He was aware of his heart rate speeding up but, he had no control over stopping it.

Caleb realized he had been staring for several moments too long when he heard Nott, appearing as her halfling self, clear her throat. "Can we help you find something?" 

The tiefling, who had been smiling at Caleb from across the counter swung towards Nott's voice in the little reading area, a long braid of plum purple hair swaying behind him as he did so. Caleb heard a moment of hesitation before the tiefling spoke. "Yes, actually." He had a soft, lilting accent that Caleb was only vaguely familiar with. "Do you have any books on spirituality? Metaphysics? Palmistry? Anything at all on divination, really." 

"We have a small selection. This way, please." Nott headed off into the shelves to show the new customer where the books he was looking for were, and Caleb took a deep, gasping breath. _What was that?_ He had never felt that before. _It was like the tiefling was staring into my soul!_

Eventually, Caleb got his heart back under control and tried to return to his reading but found himself reading the same paragraph over and over. Nott began browsing the shelves near the desk, floating from one section to another; checking that they were still in alphabetical order. Fifteen or twenty minutes passed before the tiefling came to the counter with two books on the history of fortune-telling. 

"This is it for now." He placed them on the counter with a small smile that Caleb returned as he sat his own book aside to mark down the sales. _I don't feel that pull anymore…. What was that, earlier...?_

"Was there something specific you were looking for? If we don't have it, we can order it," Caleb offered. And when he looked back up to the tiefling, he saw that he was watching Nott drifting between the shelves. Caleb's smile faltered for a moment, but he struggled to lock it in place. 

"No. Nothing specific, just browsing really." The man handed him some bills to pay, and Caleb started making change, watching the tiefling as the man observed Nott. Caleb shifted his weight nervously. _Please don't make a scene about Nott in_ front _of Nott...._

Caleb handed him his change and opened his mouth to thank him but the tiefling beat him to it. "You know this place is haunted, right?" He turned his head to look Caleb in the eyes. 

Caleb's expression hardened, his smile fell as he rose to his full height and glanced at Nott. She looked a little worried but shrugged as if to say ' _it's up to you_ '. "She's not haunting me actually. She's...." he fished for the right way to explain to an outsider and he grimaced when the best he could find was: "She's bound to me. In a way. On purpose. And she is my friend, so if you are finished?" He hoped his tone of voice made his message clear. _If you have a problem with her, you are not welcome here._

"No no." The man raised his hands in a defensive motion, still smiling but softer now. "I'm not talking about your friend. I can see her bindings. Very good work by the way. No, you have a poltergeist. You should call someone." He slid a business card across the counter as he took his books. With one final glace towards Caleb, he was out the door. 

Caleb stood stunned for a moment. "Haunted?!" Nott shrilled suddenly beside him. There was a crash from further in the store, and they both moved quickly toward the sound. When they rounded the corner, they found the entirety of the 'paranormal and monsters' section stacked in a criss-crossing, fort-like structure before they all tumbled down to the floor in a heap. 

They were both silent for a long while, staring at the books on the floor. "Caleb?" Nott was the first to speak. She peered up at his face from beside him cautiously. 

"How could I not know...?" Caleb whispered to himself. "I should've known...." He was moving now with a purpose towards the door to turn the sign over to 'CLOSED,' then flipped the lock. "The keys disappearing, my coffee moving, the customers saying there was a prankster... My stool being yanked from under me!" Caleb's voice grew louder and more manic, anger seeping in. "How did I not know!?" He was moving quickly up the stairs now, headed towards the chest at the foot of his bed. 

"You've been stressed and overworked. Before last night, had you even been sleeping?" Nott sat on the bed and waited for him to speak again. Caleb twisted his fingers in a flowing motion, muttering under his breath, and there was a soft 'clink' from the chest as the lock popped open. 

He ignored her question and knelt in front of the chest to begin moving items around. Nott knew from experience that the chest was full of various magical items that Caleb had acquired from his years of hunting. Some were weapons, others were meant for stealth, a small number were just for fun, and an even smaller few were meant to be sold when they were strapped for cash. Caleb had gotten rid of most of his magical stash: this chest and a few spell books were all that he had kept in the move. 

When he pulled back and closed the chest, Caleb set a small jewelry box on the lid. Before he opened it he pointed a figure at Nott. " _Und_ , _du_! How did _you_ not know? You're a ghost! Can you not see other ghosts?"

"To be fair, I'm not a ghost. I'm a bound spirit. And apparently we're not dealing with a ghost either. It's a poltergeist. Some ghostly entities _are_ apparent to me. But not poltergeists. My bindings make things difficult. I'm not sure I understand it all myself, to be honest..." her voice peetered off quietly.

Caleb hummed an acknowledgment as he started sorting through several rings and pendants, looking for a specific one. When he finally found a silver pentacle, he had to spend an extra moment to untangle it from the other various chains and strings. Eventually, he got it free and worked it over his head. "At least we don't have to worry about possession..." Caleb closed the small box and settled it back in the large chest before continuing to dig around for a few items he would need to do a banishment. Finally, Caleb closed the chest with a few arcane words to lock it once more, his hands full of things he would need for the ritual. 

He placed his tools on the kitchen island. "I don't know how this will affect you, so you're going back in the box until I'm done, okay?" Caleb made his way to the center of the main room and knelt to lift a board out of the floor to reveal the small goblin skull. He gently lifted it and replaced the board, making his way downstairs to where the lead safe lay under the counter. He spoke a quick spell and then spun the combination into the safe’s dial. He rested the skull inside and took a breath to calm himself. It wasn't Nott he was angry with.

Before Caleb locked her away, he looked back up at her, now standing next to his kneeling form, "I am sorry, Nott. I know how much you hate being locked away." His face softened and his voice wavered. "It is only for an hour or two at most this time."

Nott smiled down at him where he crouched in front of the safe, but he could tell that it was a sad smile. "I understand. Be safe, Cay." She ran her hand through his hair, and he could feel it like a gentle breeze ruffling the strands. He returned her sad smile as she turned to mist. He watched as she disappeared into the eyes of the skull, and he closed the safe and locked it. 

Caleb started a breathing exercise as he headed back upstairs. _In for four..... Hold it, hold it.... Out for eight. Repeat. Good, Caleb. And again._ He heard Dr. Trickfoot's voice in his head as he did it. Of course, she usually had him sitting or laying down, but he didn't quite have the time for that. If there was a poltergeist in his house, he wanted it gone. Now. He'd worked so hard to get away from that world, and he would not allow it to follow him here. 

By the time Caleb arrived back at the kitchen island where he had left his tools, his mind had calmed. The panic and anger he had felt before had been pushed away, replaced with determination. _This is a simple problem with a simple solution. So stop panicking and fix it._ This was also in Dr. Trickfoot's voice, as most of his logical thoughts so often were. 

Caleb took inventory of the items laid out on the island. A small notebook filled with his own curling script rested in the center, sticky notes and pages sticking out from the edges. Surrounding that, he had placed a bundle of white sage, a light blue candle in a holder, a vial of his own Holy Oil blend, a few silver bells on a white thread, and small vials containing tiny shards of both his own birthstone as well as his mother’s. 

He slid the book towards himself and dragged his hand over the old leather cover, nicked and dented and water marked. Caleb had his spell books, as any wizard does, filled with incantations to harness fire and lightning, to speed up and slow down. But this book was a collection of the knowledge he had learned under Gilmore's careful teaching: things not necessarily connected to the arcane. Things for hunting, for banishing, for seeking things that even magic did not completely explain, even when science failed. 

Caleb opened the cover and started flipping the pages delicately. Terribly sketched drawings of burrow mawgs, malks, bulettes, gelatinous cubes, and warpwolves filled the pages, along with several other dreadful creatures he had encountered and studied. A few stray pictures shoved between pages of him, posing with Grog, Percy, and Vax, gave him pause in his flipping. 

The one that stopped Caleb in his tracks was the very last picture taken of them all together nearly six months prior. Grog was shirtless with his bat over his shoulders, his arms resting on either side of it behind his head, and grinning ear to ear as he loomed over the rest. Percy stood to one side, face seeming nearly morose with his hands on his hips, which pushed his long coat back revealing the ivory grips of the two revolvers at his belt. Vax and Caleb were on the other side of Grog: Vax had his arm around Caleb's shoulders and was grinning mischievously at the camera; his daggers on a leather strip across his chest. Caleb, blushing, had his typical pencil behind his ear and one of Vax's daggers in his hands, his book holsters just barely visible under his old coat. Staring at the photo, Caleb touched the image of Vax's face and felt the pain he usually kept so tightly under control threaten to burst through with the phantom sounds of tires squealing on asphalt. _Not now... there's time for that later._

He took a breath and skipped ahead to a specific section, close to the middle. Unlike the back of the book, which Caleb had filled with all the runes, incantations, and wards that Gilmore had taught him before he left and that now protected his shop, this middle section held a simple sage cleansing. He had used it once before to clear a house that had been haunted by someone's long-dead grandfather, who had been knocking around in the walls for months. He read over the words he had to say, committing them to memory. 

Caleb kicked himself into gear, starting with the Holy Water. He filled a bowl with tap water from the sink and sprinkled in a few pinches of salt. Stirring it with his finger, he muttered a few blessings to the Archheart, and presto: Holy Water. Caleb carried the bowl over to the island, dropped the silver bells and their thread completely into the bowl, and left them there. He set the vials of birthstones and the Holy Oil to the side for the time being, leaving himself with the blue Home candle and the sage. 

"I hate this part...." Caleb grumbled to himself as he began walking around the loft, opening all the doors and cabinets, leaving no space hidden away. When he finished several minutes later, Caleb tugged the bells out of the water and wrapped the thread around the stem of the sage bundle, ensuring that he left the bells dangling to ring freely. Then he gathered the sage and the Home candle and headed downstairs. 

Carefully settling the candle on the doorstep, and the sage on the counter, Caleb launched into opening all the doors and cabinets on the lower level, just as he had above. When he was finished, Caleb retrieved the sage from the counter and stood in the center of the book store lobby. He took deep, steadying breaths to clear his mind. This was not a difficult thing to do - one of the simplest, really - but he had always been particular about his work. When he finally felt relaxed, he reached for his magic. Caleb hadn’t wanted to use it ever again. Or at the very least, not this soon after moving here. But things needed to be done, and this was a simple enough spell; he really couldn't get anyone hurt with this one.

Caleb opened his eyes, burning from within with arcane energy. He spoke a word of power, and the Home candle on the doorstep flared to life. 

He began by lighting the sage bundle with the Home candle in the doorframe. Then he stepped back into the center of the room and created a ritual circle by turning to the four directions and chanting, “I ask the Gods and Goddesses to bless this space so that I may be free and protected within it," in each direction. 

Caleb started to walk through the room using the cardinal directions; north, east, south, and finally west. He made sure the smoke was wafted into every open cupboard, under all of the tables, and into any cracks in the walls. During his walk, he repeated a mantra over and over:

"I summon love and understanding to this place.

I banish hatred and conflict from this place.

I summon positive energy to flow through these walls.

I banish all negativity and evil from within.

The past is in the past;

the future of this place is now our own."

Caleb kept his senses alert, feeling for any changes in energy and fluctuations in the aura of the home. He may not have been attuned to those kinds of things, but drastic changes could often be felt, even by those with no attachment to Magick or the arcane at all. 

When he finished with the downstairs area, he moved on to the upstairs loft, repeating the directional walk and his mantra. Caleb did his best to keep his stress and worry pushed far away, channeling only happy thoughts and calm feelings into his work. Intention was one of the most important tools for Magick. 

When he was finally finished, he made his way back down to the front of the store and closed his ritual circle by facing the directions in reverse and saying: "Thank you for your safety and guidance." 

When he closed the circle completely, Caleb let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding and released the stream of magic that he had been using to put power into his words. He made his way back to the Home candle - still burning in the doorway - and blew it out. He would need to let it burn down later, but right now he needed to be done with magic, done with the day. And he really just wanted to let Nott back out of the safe. 

Caleb brought the candle over to the counter, retrieved the vials of birthstones and Holy Oil from upstairs, and let himself relax onto the stool he kept by the front desk as he watched the sage burn itself out. Sage was always a relaxing smell to him, like lavender to other people. The only issue was that people often complain it smells like marijuana, and that could be an issue for customers. Luckily, he had shut down early enough that day; the smell should clear out by the next day, he hoped. 

Once the smoke had petered out, Caleb carried what was left of the sage bundle, along with the oil and the birthstones, over to one of the plant pots near the front door and knelt down next to it. Traditionally, he would tell the client to do this in the front yard of the home, but his front yard was busy sidewalk and traffic-jammed asphalt. _This will have to do_ , he thought as he dug a small hole, maybe five inches deep, into the pot. 

Caleb gently lay the stubby sage bundle into the hole. He then sprinkled bits of the crushed up birthstone of his mother over the bundle: "I offer you this, a piece of my mother." Then he sprinkled his own birthstone in as well: "I offer you this, a piece of myself." He put the little vials aside and uncorked the small bottle of Holy Oil and sprinkled it on top. 

He bowed his head and said a little prayer to whichever deity might be listening: "This is my first home on my own since I left Mutti and Vati... I just want to live peacefully. Please guide me to that goal, please take my offering to help me protect this place. Thank you." Caleb covered the leftover sage gently with the soil. 

As soon as the last bit of dirt was pushed into place, Caleb rushed over to the safe and eagerly opened it, freeing Nott. "Nott, it is safe to come out now, _liebchen_." No sooner had he spoken than she was streaming out of the skull and solidifying. 

"Is it gone?" She asked excitedly.

" _Ja_ , it is gone. No more prankster in my store." He locked up the safe again and grabbed a few stacks of receipts as well as Nott's skull. "Now, there's no point in opening back up; it's already nearly 3 o'clock. I'm just going to get some of the accounting done, then retire early again." Caleb turned to her with a gentle smile. "There might be something to this 'sleep' thing after all."

She laughed at his easy humor and raced upstairs ahead of him, from where he could hear the TV turn on to Animal Planet. 

***

Later that evening, Caleb found himself in bed with Frumpkin, finishing up 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'. He was on the last few chapters, so he figured it was best to just stay up the extra hour and finish rather than wait until morning to do so. He could still hear Nott in the living room, with the TV volume down low, watching a sci-fi horror movie. 

Caleb paused in his reading and allowed himself to feel this moment of peace. Since they had moved, he'd had plenty of these little moments where he felt his chest tighten and his eyes prickle. Caleb closed his eyes and smiled to himself. Every day he found himself in a state of shock that this was his life now. He was safe and warm. He had a home, and he had a friend. He had a cat. Truly the _best_ cat. Caleb scratched Frumpkin's ears as he let himself have this moment. He reminded himself that not everyone made it to this point; some got lost along the way.

He gazed over to the wall by his door where several photos, memos, and tickets to events had been pinned to a corkboard. From this distance and in the dark, Caleb couldn’t make out the faces or details, but he had them all memorized anyway. There was a picture from when Keyleth and Vex convinced everyone to go to the zoo together; there was a picture of himself standing with Percy, holding a shooting target when Percy insisted he learn how to handle a gun and Caleb surprised them both when he actually did alright; there were a few pictures of him sitting near Gilmore, pouring over research in Gil's private library; there was one of Nott standing on a table in the middle of a Christmas dinner and everyone laughing while Vex yelled for her to get down; there was a ticket from when Gilmore took him to a German musical and a stadium ticket from when Grog asked him to go to a baseball game with him because Vax and Percy had work and he didn't want to go alone. Countless memories were pinned to that board, with countless more pinned in his memory. Mostly happy, but some were bittersweet with loss. 

There was a time a few years ago, before he was taken in by Gil, when Caleb would've recoiled at the thought of himself being happy. He would have punished himself just for thinking it. He hadn't thought he deserved it. And maybe, back then, he didn't. But with Gilmore and Dr. Trickfoot's help, with his family's help, he realized that he was allowed to have these moments to himself without feeling guilty. He deserved nice things sometimes, even if it didn’t always feel that way.

Caleb was still smiling and wiping at some of the stray tears he had allowed to escape when he heard some banging coming from the kitchen. He turned his head towards the door with a curious tilt. The door was half closed, to help filter some of the tv noise, but the sound seemed to be a little heavier than something Nott could usually manage on her own. "Nott? Do you need help looking for something?" 

He heard her quiet "what?" from the opposite direction in the living room. Before he could respond with another question, he heard a loud crashing noise of many, many things shattering to the hardwood in the kitchen, and Nott let out a startled squeal. 

On practiced auto-pilot, one hand pulled a dagger from under his mattress and the other grabbed his Scooby-Doo pencil off the table, on his way to the wall next to the door. He brandished the pencil in his right hand as a cop would a gun, pointing the end away from him and slightly downwards, while holding the dagger in his left underneath to steady his aim. He nudged the crack in the door open a bit further to peek into the living room. Caleb could see Nott's yellow eyes peeking over the back of the couch right at him. She pointed towards the kitchen, then ducked back down, out of sight. 

He was aware of his heart pounding in his ears, but his hands were steady. _Not today_ , he thought calmly as he pushed the door open further, and pointed his pencil towards the kitchen, but all Caleb could see from this angle was that the cabinet over the coffee maker was open. He cautiously moved from his doorway and, barefoot, he crept towards the kitchen, channeling energy into the shaft of the pencil, causing previously invisible runes along the sides to start glowing with an arcane light. He rounded the island quickly, pointing the pencil with intent to kill, hoping to catch whatever it was off guard. 

But what Caleb found, was every single one of his mugs shattered on the floor. Most of the jagged pieces had been pushed away from the center, where a few choice pieces had been placed to arrange a message. He would have been impressed if he wasn't so shocked and angry. The message, composed of two very simple words, was not impressive in itself. But the energy needed to open a cabinet, dump over twenty mugs onto the floor at once, and then make the message in a matter of seconds... now _that_ was impressive. And a little bit terrifying. Sitting in the center of his precious mug collection, was a not-very-polite greeting.

It read "fuck you".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The banishment spell in DND requires a target you can see. Since he can't see her, he can't target her. 
> 
> For Paperback's modern setting, I wanted to establish a difference between wicca/witchcraft style magic, and the arcane type of magic. For that, Magick is any kind of thing you might find in modern wicca/witchcraft/pagan type practices, potion makers, energy manipulators, etc. And Arcane is... well dnd magic. 
> 
> Fun fact: The ritual Caleb does is a modified version of what I use to cleanse my apartments before I move into them. I generally use it to clear out any traces of the previous tenants' life, but I suppose could be amplified with Caleb's arcane gifts to attempts to banish a poltergiest. (and fail). lol


	4. Learning to Ask for Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb calls Gil to find an alternative way to banish his unwanted guest, commits the crime of property damage, has a few bad mental health days resulting in a breakdown, and calls the mysterious psychic from the week before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! Very happy with the reception I'm getting with this story! Thank you so much! I'm so glad to finally be able to share it with you. 
> 
> That being said, I do need to warn you. **(Spoilers ahead pertaining to content warnings)** Caleb does not have a happy backstory. He struggles every day with a lot of mental health things. This story features him struggling to get through most days, dealing with depression, PTSD, his past mistakes, past self-harm, flashbacks, addiction, etc. I also slightly hc him as being on the autism scale. The heavy stuff, like self-harm, suicide, addiction never occur directly and are only referenced throughout this story, but I do feel the need to give you all a warning ahead of time. I will be adding chapter warnings both in notes and tags as I go, but I wanted you all very aware of what is coming in future chapters. 
> 
> Chapter warning:  
> Caleb has a flashback  
> Caleb references old self-harm and needle scars briefly  
> Alluding to past self-harm and past drug use briefly  
> Caleb has a very bad mental health week: texture sensitivity, audio sensitivity, irritability, lack of spoons, etc.
> 
> Thank you Mar and Code for being awesome. 
> 
> (See the ending for some footnotes pertaining to worldbuilding marked with * and **. Not important to understand the chapter.)

"No,  _ nein _ . That won't work either, Gil. It's a poltergeist, not a shadow person."

"Hmm." The velvety voice of his mentor came from the cell phone. "You're right, Cay." He could hear Gilmore chuckling and flipping the pages of some of the books he had in his study. "Well you could try a variation on the Bligh Bond Banishment?* Though that might be a little extreme."

" _ Ja _ . I was thinking the same. I would like to avoid blowing out all my windows." Caleb was sitting on the floor of his office space upstairs, one leg outstretched, books spread around him in disarray as he flipped through the one on his lap. 

"You could always try a Paschal Randolph approach?**" Caleb could hear the suggestive tone in his friend's voice, and he felt his face heat in a blush. 

" _ Ja, _ no. Not going to happen. I might as well just ask it nicely to leave...." He paused in his reading, as did Gilmore. He contemplated the notion of just  _ asking  _ a dead person to get out of his house.

"Well..." Gil started slowly. "I mean you  _ could _ . Not so sure how well that would work out. But what harm could it do?"

"I suppose you’re right." He took a few deep breaths, and Gilmore waited patiently on the phone. Caleb reached for his magic to empower his words like he had just a few hours prior and began to speak. "Lost spirit stuck in the material plane. I implore you to please go and leave me in peace." Before he had even finished speaking, a picture frame with a caricature of Frumpkin crashed off the wall onto the floor and shattered the glass across the hardwood. Caleb released the magic and let out a frustrated groan as he allowed his head to fall into his hands. 

"It was worth a try. Now, here's an old favorite of mine - not so extreme and works on more than just ghosts, it'll add to the wards around the building. I’m not so sure about poltergeists specifically, but it's worth a shot."

Gilmore spent the better part of the next hour explaining the intricacies of making charm bags. Before they ended the call, they talked for a few minutes about how the new city was and how Caleb had adjusted to running the business. Gil told Caleb how the rest of his friends were: Percy and Grog were still hunting and killing things, but Gil said they were much more cautious with it just being the two of them. Keyleth had moved back home and taken a job as a park ranger, but she called frequently; Caleb couldn't really blame her for separating herself after what had happened. 

"Be safe, Caleb, please," Gill said, and Caleb could hear all the grief and sadness wrapped into those words. They were heavy like stones as they hit Caleb in the lungs. 

"You know I try." His reply was just as heavy with unspoken meaning. 

After he ended the call, Caleb sat for a moment, books splayed out around him, Nott humming along to music on the TV. He missed his friends. But he wanted a safer life. He blinked, and for a moment he was back in Arcadia, in his therapist's office.

_ "Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for what you want, Caleb," said Dr. Trickfoot when he told her about wanting to move.  _

_Dr. Trickfoot was a gnomish woman, with hair such a light blond it seemed to reflect the light. Her face was always neutral, yet caring. So much so that Caleb had begun to wonder if she put forth the expression as a mask to cover other, deeper emotions from her patients. At home - when she was Pike, not the Doctor - he had seen her laugh with her family. But never in her office._

_ "I don't... I don't want to leave them. Gilmore saved my life, and he just lost..." Caleb couldn't say it. "I don't want to leave him. Or Grog and Percy. They need me. And I... I'm scared of being alone again…. What if I'm not ready to be alone...?" _

_ "These are viable concerns, Caleb. I'm very proud that you're weighing these things. Now, do you think Mr. Gilmore would want to hold you back? Do you think he would do that?" _

_ "Nein, never. He... as much as I find it hard to believe, he wants what's best for me. He always has. If I said I wanted to leave, he'd probably help me pack..." _

_ "Hmm." She hums. "And, you? What are you afraid of for yourself?" _

Back on the floor of his own office, he found himself scratching at his arms from where he had pushed his sleeves up to work. Caleb hated what he saw there. There was a tattoo of a dagger with a raven head on the hilt, one of his most prized possessions, on the underside of his wrist. But above that was a criss-crossing of scars up and down his forearm, accompanied by little, circular, pin-prick-sized scars on the inside of his elbow - some self inflicted, some not, but all faded from the passage of time. He found himself staring down at them but not really seeing them. His fingers scratched harder and harder without him meaning to. The pressure turned pain was grounding; he pushed harder... 

"Caleb?" Nott's voice was small when she spoke up. He sucked in a breath of air and remembered to breathe, the spell over his mind broken. He jerked his hands away and faced her, standing in the entrance of the office area. "How are they?" she asked. "Did you get anything we can use?"

Caleb cleared his throat before speaking, " _ Ja _ .  _ Ja, _ I did." The ingredients might be an issue, but using the charm bags would be simple enough. He'd have to keep the store closed in the morning and go out looking for the components. He scrunched his face up at the prospect of losing more business, but he had sold one of the spell books he kept locked up behind the counter on Friday, and the money from that would help make up for the loss of regular sales. 

He let out a long, drawn out sigh as he lay back on the floor, ending up splayed over several of the books he had been pouring through. Caleb’s arms were thrown out to each side, his sleeves now pulled back into place and his eyes turned up at the ceiling. "At least it's not a boggart..." He mused to himself, trying to find a joke in the midst of the mess - another coping mechanism he used frequently. 

"You should sleep." Nott's big, yellow eyes came into view, staring down at him as she leant over him, her hair hanging around her head nearly touching his face. 

"Hmm." Caleb closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the exhaustion of the day hit him. He had felt several emotions since noon, including a few shocks, and that was on top of him still trying to adjust to this new life and the move. His arms felt heavy, and he found himself struggling to lift his eyelids again. 

"In your  _ bed _ ," Nott added. Caleb could feel her ghostly fingers trailing along his cheek and jaw, and he smiled, somewhat sadly. 

"Five more minutes?" He joked to her before finally forcing his eyes back open. After a moment to steel himself, he strained up into a sitting position and slowly stood upright. "Bed it is. Not like I can do anything about the crazy dead person right now. If it manages to kill me in my sleep, you get all my stuff,  _ ja _ ?"

Nott laughed lightly and called out to the room, "I'm the only crazy dead person allowed." She followed Caleb silently to his bedroom and stood at the door as he crawled under the sheets. "Now that I think about it, what is  _ this _ dead person gonna do with all your stuff?" 

Caleb laughed tiredly. "You'd figure it out, I'm sure... Goodnight,  _ schatz _ ..." 

"Goodnight, Cay." Her voice was soft and fond as he drifted off to sleep. And if she stood watch all night? Well, no-one was around to know. 

***

"Okay, that's the last of them." Caleb arrived back at the front desk with a sledgehammer over his shoulder like a bat. His hoodie, the pink one with the cat's face, had a dusting of drywall down the front. "All four corners on both floors. Hopefully we don't need to move locations anytime soon; the landlord might have something to say about it." He chuckled as he set the hammer down behind the counter and stood in the center of the front lobby, almost exactly where he had started the blessing the day before. 

The components for the charm bags had taken several hours that morning to track down. Luckily, Austin had a fairly large occult population, as well as a college just thirty minutes north of the city that offered classes in Basic Arcana. That meant there were quite a few stores within walking distance that sold many of the things he needed. Preparing them was another beast altogether and took several more hours. 

So now, nearing the end of the business day, Caleb found himself uttering the final words to the spell to close the protective barrier. He felt a small ripple of magical energy radiate out from him in all directions, and he sensed it settle in and around the bags he'd placed in the walls. He opened his eyes and smiled to himself. "That should do it. No more poltergeist."

"Yeah, I've heard that before," Nott said from where she sat on the sofa in the lobby. When Caleb looked at her, she was smirking. 

"Hush, you." He checked that the door was still locked and headed to the back room. There wouldn't be any sales today, but he could still try to get some work done; the books that arrived that morning weren't going to catalog themselves. He snapped his fingers, and Frumpkin poofed into existence at his feet and ran ahead of him into the storage room. 

***

The calendar had turned to Friday before Caleb realized things weren’t quite right. After the banishments had been completed, the week had appeared to be looking up: the store had been peaceful for several days, and business continued. In fact, customer traffic had increased; word of mouth had reached the university campus up north, bringing his shop an influx of readers. 

But eventually, Caleb's mood began to slip. It started with a bad social day, resulting in his need to bring Frumpkin into the store to help him cope and let him sit on the counter within petting distance for most of the day. Nearly every customer had stopped to give him pets as they passed in and out of the store, so Caleb had eventually decided Frumpkin would become a permanent staple of the storefront and had placed a cat bed on a shelf near the counter so Frumpkin could snooze. 

Then the sounds of the street and traffic had started to grate on Caleb's patience. Eventually, certain textures had begun to irritate him as well, and he had been left wearing a pair of soft, black joggers and his cat hoodie, as they were his most comfortable clothes - albeit not the most professional. And when he had heard that young family with their beautiful children come in speaking German, it had been the final straw. He struggled for the rest of that day to remain polite, through thoughts of home and his parents. By the time he was closing shop on Friday, he was ready for a weekend to recharge; but Nott knew the look on his face, and she knew what it meant. 

"Caleb..." She started soft as she flipped the lock on the door and dropped her halfling disguise. 

" _ Ja _ ?" His voice was short and clipped. He didn't look up from the day's receipts as he closed the till.

"Was it that family...?" Nott continued hesitantly as she turned to observe him. His hands stopped sorting papers, but they shook. His eyes began to burn, tears threatening to fall, and he closed them and took a breath before answering. 

"I'm fine. Just ready for the weekend." Caleb opened his eyes and continued sorting the receipts, but it hadn't been a very busy day, and he was running out of papers to keep his hands busy. 

"Caleb, it's okay to be up---"

"I know it's okay!" he interrupted and swung to face her across the counter, his eyes blazing, tears beginning to form in the corners. "Alright, I know it's okay to feel these things, but that doesn't make the feelings any less painful...." He looked away, unable to maintain eye contact as his vision blurred. He rubbed at his face furiously with one sleeve and looked back to his other hand, still clutching the last receipt for dear life. He forced himself to loosen his grip and tried to smooth the paper on the desk before meticulously putting it in its pile. Nott watched in silent patience as the anger faded away and Caleb was left staring blankly at the counter.

"I miss them...." He spoke so softly he'd be surprised if Nott heard it. "I miss them every day, but some days are worse than others…." Caleb started pulling at a loose thread on the cuff on his hoodie to keep his hands busy now that he had finished with the paperwork. "I know it's okay to have good days and bad days. But the bad days are... bad...." His words failed him momentarily. "And there was a time where every day was a bad day, and I was okay with that. I was desensitized to it. But now, it's like I have so many good days that when the bad days hit me, it's worse than it used to be." He looked up to meet her eyes, now that he had calmed down. "I'm sorry I snapped at you, Nott."

She moved to stand next to him before she answered. "I understand. You know I had a family once. And now I'm here, never to see them again because of something I did. Caleb," she reached out towards him, not quite touching, "if you want to talk about it, you know I'll always listen."

"I know, Nott. Sometimes I think you're the only one who  _ could  _ understand. I'm okay, really. It's a 'missing them' day; not a 'I hate myself for what I did' day. That's tomorrow." He gave her a small smile to show he was joking. "Now come on, let's go watch Animal Planet. Hopefully they have that cat show on. I could use some kitten therapy." 

Frumpkin made an indignant cry as Caleb stood to head upstairs. " _ Ja ja _ . You are cute,  _ meine katze _ . But you are no kitten." He reached down for Frumpkin and put him on his shoulders. 

Nott followed behind him as they ascended to the loft. She could see his shoulders start to relax with every step, every pet to the cat, the tension he'd had the last few days slowly melting away. She thought he might actually be okay with some rest; he 'd simply had a bad few days. But just as she thought this, and just as he moved to curl up on the couch with Frumpkin, all of the books on the shelves in his office went flying onto the floor with a terrible crash. 

He was on his feet with fire at his fingers in a fraction of a second, in a defensive stance. His eyes wildly darted for a threat, and his breath was frantic. Caleb let the flame go out after a moment of understanding flitted behind his eyes, and he sank to the couch in defeat with his face in his hands. 

"I just don't understand...." Caleb mumbled, sounding defeated. "I've killed pistol wraiths, a rachne s, vampires, and windigos... with both my hands and my magic.... I have summoned and banished demons and faeries. I have survived a room full of acid. But I cannot get rid of a dead person in my house...." He lifted his head from his hands to rest it on the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling.

"Maybe call Mollymauk?" Nott questioned carefully from the arm of the couch. 

"Who?" He lifted his head to look at her curiously.

"The psychic. The pretty purple guy from Monday."

He groaned. "You mean the fake?" His face turned incredulous, but his heart skipped a beat at the mention of the tiefling.

"I'm not so sure he's a fake. He sensed me. He saw my bindings. And he told you you had a poltergeist before either of us even realized something was wrong." 

Caleb's face scrunched up in distaste. "You can be mildly Clairvoyant or Clairsentient and still be a fraud. People do it all the time. Some experience in improv and behavioral analysis is all you need to make a quick buck…." He gave a resigned sigh as he lumbered from the couch to the destroyed office area. "But at this point, I want this over with. We came here for a peaceful life, not to live the plot of a cheesy ghost movie…." 

He carefully waded through the books scattered on the floor to his desk and retrieved the business card the man had given him Monday from a drawer. It seemed like Monday had been so long ago. He also pulled out the cell phone he hardly ever used but kept charged for emergencies (ie: Gilmore and Dr. Trickfoot) and started dialing. 

The phone rang three times before a quiet, gentle female voice answered, "Fletching and Moondrop, we've been expecting your call. This is Yasha." The poor woman either sounded bored or tired. Maybe both.

" _ Hallo _ . My name is Caleb Widogast. Mollymauk Tealeaf gave me his card and said I should call for help with a poltergeist in my store. Is he available?"

"Sure he's--" he heard a small thump, and then the sound of the receiver being pressed into cloth, probably her shirt, accompanied by muffled voices. "Actually he's with a client at the moment. Are you available tomorrow evening? Your shop’s closed, so he could come by and do a walk around."

"How... um - how do you know we're closed on Saturdays?" Caleb was mildly puzzled; he hadn't even told her the name of the shop yet. 

"You're right dow--" another thump and muffled voices. "We're psychics, Mr. Widogast," she deadpanned. "Are you available?"

"Um...  _ Ja _ . I can be here any time…." He gave her the address despite her insisting she didn't need it and arranged for the tiefling to come by around lunch. When he hung up, Caleb stared blankly at the phone for a moment before he put it down on the desk. He turned and surveyed the books, nearly knee high, flooding his floor. "This can wait…. I need kittens…." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Bligh Bond was an architect from the late 1800's. I found his story kindof interesting and decided t write him into my story. In my universe, he had an interest in old architectural buildings and would frequently encounter spirits because most of the places he hung out at was haunted. So he developed a style of banishment that became somewhat popular in open fields or older buildings. It's not used often with new buildings because it tends to be a bit "explosive" with the energy release, causing a blast of cleansing energy out from the caster.
> 
> **Paschal Randolph was an occultist in the mid 1800, and perhaps the first person to introduce the principles of erotic alchemy (sex magic) to North America. In my universe, Paschal developed a banishment involving a sexual ritual.


	5. With a Heavy Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mollymauk visits for a walkthrough and makes some revelations about Caleb's poltergeist. Caleb has a flashback that sends him into a spiral, and Nott just can't keep a secret. (VM spoiler warning)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there! I'm so happy you all are enjoying this so far! This truly is a labor of love and I can't wait for all the reveals that are on the way in upcoming chapters. I would love to discuss this story if anyone is interested! 
> 
> You can see the inspo for Molly's outfit here: https://tearfulsolace.tumblr.com/post/616015638892249088/the-paperback-wizard-tearfulsolace-critical
> 
> Chapter warnings:  
> A flashback vaguely mentioning a car accident  
> VM character death spoilers (canon related)
> 
> Thanks again to Mar and Code!

It was noon sharp when there was a knock on the door. Caleb had been sitting on the sofa in the lobby, nervously tapping his foot and fingering at the pentacle around his neck, while Nott, already in her halfling disguise, continued to read the fairy tale book on the table. He stood so suddenly he felt a bit of a dizzy spell hit him and had to steady himself before making his way to the door to let the tiefling in. 

He flipped the lock to open the door and was suddenly struck by a wave of color. The man standing before him was already colorful - he was purple, for the Gods' sake. But he also seemed to enjoy plastering on every color in the known spectrum. Today, Mollymauk was wearing a pair of maroon skinny jeans tucked into YesWeVibe boots that sported a rainbow mandala effect across the front and chakra symbols down the sides.His shirt was a pale green with a tombstone that read ‘I'm Dead’. And on top of all of that, he was wearing a long, flowing coat, just about the same color on the outside as his jeans. The inside, in the places Caleb could see, was lined with a deep, royal blue silk. And on nearly every inch available, Caleb could see colorful thread forming embroidered stars, moons, and suns, with little flowers up the sleeves. And once Caleb was able to speak to invite him in, he saw a large all-seeing-eye on the back panel, surrounded by flowing colors of embroidery.

"Uh, _ hallo _ . Welcome back." Caleb could feel his pulse quickening, and his brain felt a little fuzzy.  _ Why are you reacting this way?  _ he chastised himself. _ You are being ridiculous. This is a professional meeting; the only difference is  _ you  _ are now the client, so act like it, Widogast. _

"Hello again. It's good to be back." The man grinned, and Caleb found that it was almost as bright as his clothes. "I’m Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to my friends.” He stuck out a carefully manicured hand, which Caleb took gently. Mollymauk’s skin was warm, and Caleb found himself not wanting to let go.

“Caleb Widogast. And this is Nott,” he gestured to his friend, who waved from her seat near the coffee table.

“Pleasure. Now, tell me a bit about what's been going on while I look around." Molly started by studying the little entrance lobby, running his hands along the windowsill and looking up to the ceiling, his hands always out in front of him as if feeling for something. Caleb almost rolled his eyes but didn’t want to look away from the colorful spectacle that was Mollymauk Tealeaf. 

Unbeknownst to him, Nott  _ did  _ roll her eyes at how ridiculous Caleb was behaving but turned back to her book, needing to concentrate to turn the page. 

"Hmm.  _ Ja,  _ so, it started with my coffee." He started to explain as he followed Molly slowly through the aisles of shelves. The tiefling twisted to raise an eyebrow at him, and Caleb smiled sheepishly . "It was being moved... without my knowledge." He cleared his throat and continued. "Anyway, then customers started complaining about a prankster when we opened. Said someone was knocking things away from them and breathing in their ears. I thought it was a child playing a game, so I had Nott on the lookout. She never found anything, and I was contemplating some kind of surveillance. I probably need some anyway...." He mumbled the last part to himself as he glanced around his store, shoving his hands in his jeans pockets.

Molly hummed to show that he was still listening, so Caleb continued. "Then it was my chair being pulled from under me to the other side of the room as I tried to sit." Molly couldn't help but let out a small giggle at the image, quickly covering his mouth with a quiet apology as they made it into the storage room, his hands still out. " _ Ja _ , hilarious," Caleb added, but his voice was void of any malice as he found himself smiling along with the stranger. 

Molly wandered over to where the makeshift desk, now dismantled, had once sat and made a face as he tilted his head slightly. Caleb wouldn't have noticed if he hadn’t been paying such close attention to the man. He made a face of his own but said nothing. "It was little things like that. My keys went missing at one point, and uh..." He hesitated.  _ Eh, what the hell, he already knows _ . "I had to have Nott flip the lock from inside before leaving through a crack under the door so we could go out that day." Caleb watched for any reactions, and he was a little shocked to see Molly just smile again as though he wanted to laugh but was trying to stay professional. "When we returned, they were in the middle of the floor, right in front of the door."

"I saw stairs," Molly said, heading towards them. During business hours, Caleb had a little yellow chain he draped across the stairs that read 'Employees Only'. But today, it hung limply to one side. "What's up there?"

"The loft; that's where we live." Caleb removed his hands from his pockets and began leading the way up. Molly hesitated at the base of the stairs before he followed, stopping dead in his tracks as he reached the top floor. His face scrunched up, and he shook his head as if to clear it. "Are you alright?" Caleb began to reach out a hand to Molly before thinking better of it and leaving it hovering in a casual bid to show concern. 

It took Molly a second to collect his thoughts, the energy buzzing around making him dizzy for a moment. "Yeah, I'm okay. There's a lot going on... um... Okay, so, kitchen." He gestured vaguely, "what on Earth happened there?"

Caleb stared at Molly, struck dumb for a moment, before shaking his head.  _ Maybe he's not so fake after all. _ "Uh, yeah. So it destroyed my entire mug collection, which took years to get to my liking, by the way...." he grumbled to himself again. "Opened the cabinet and dumped them all out at once, even spelled out a nice greeting for me.... 'Fuck you' too!" He called out to the room. 

Molly laughed again, not a small giggle like before, but an actual laugh tinkling like windchimes, and Caleb felt his heart catch for a moment at the sound. He wanted to hear it again. And again. And again.  _ What are you thinking? Stop it! _

"Alright," Molly seemed to be trying to control his laughter, and Caleb wished he wouldn't. "What about over there?" He looked over towards the office where Caleb had started to reorganize his books into stacks after they had gone flying the night before. 

"Ah. Well, I had it on good authority that some charm bags might help with my issue." He gestured over to a hole in the wall, mostly hidden by the leg of his desk. "I was wrong...." He could hear how exhausted and frustrated he sounded. 

"Charm bags?" Molly sounded surprised. "Do you practice the arcane, or magick?" He was referring to the difference between those with arcane abilities: clerics, wizards, the occasional bard, and those who dealt simply with energy manipulation and potion brewing: herbalists, witches, wiccans, and the sort. 

Caleb hesitated only a second before deciding to lie about his own expertise. "I study magick. Eh, used to. I don't really practice much. But an old friend suggested to try them. Clearly, we were mistaken...." He caught himself rubbing behind his right ear where he had used ‘Tattoo Item’ to embed his wand into his skin and stopped himself, not wanting to attract attention to it. He didn't want it to be common knowledge that a wizard had just moved into the city. 

"Well, as creative as that is, you've essentially just trapped it further, as if it wasn't already trapped here. Charm bags work more as a barrier to keep others from crossing into and out of the area." Molly turned towards Caleb. "I thought a felt a barrier when I was here last week, with all the runes you have carved on the door frame. And it feels even stronger now. You did good work. Truly. Just not the right kind of work." He tilted his head as he gave Caleb a cheeky smirk in a way that Caleb found utterly adorable. "Do you still have those mugs?" He asked.

"Oh,  _ ja _ . I haven't taken the trash down yet." He made his way over to the kitchen, pulled out the little grocery bag he had used to hold all the shards in, and placed it on the counter. 

"May I?" Molly indicated that he wished to open the bag, and Caleb nodded, watching him untie the knot with thin, nimble fingers, his nails manicured into sharp, maroon tips. Caleb noticed callouses not unlike his own on his palms and filed the information away for later.  _ It appears this psychic knows how to handle a few weapons…. Odd. _

Molly got the bag open and started picking through a few of the larger shards, closing his eyes. "Hmm," he hummed, making a face that Caleb wasn't entirely sure how to interpret. "She's angry... She's hurting...."

"She?" Caleb asked. He saw halfling Nott appear at the top of the stairs, watching from around the partition. 

"Yes. The aura is feminine. She's so,  _ so  _ angry. Likely a violent death, likely a lonely one." He opened his eyes. "Something about you has her riled up." Caleb saw Molly look between himself and Nott, who had ventured further into the room. "I knew the last tenant, and they never had any issues. So what is so different about you lot....?" 

"We're not the previous owners?" Caleb offered nervously to avoid the question. Molly had seemed to be asking himself the question, more than directing it at them; but Caleb couldn’t help the half dozen answers that sprang to mind. First and foremost---

"Is it because of me?" Nott asked suddenly, shyly. 

Molly seemed to consider his answer thoughtfully before replying. "I don't think so. I can see and sense your energy, but you are very well bound to your anchor." He gestured with his chin towards the direction of the floorboard with Nott's skull, and Caleb shuffled his feet uncomfortably. At this point, he really couldn’t deny that this Mollymauk must be the real deal. "So she can't be using you to act. Did you do the bindings, Mr. Caleb?" He looked to Caleb for the answer.

Caleb was almost shocked at hearing Molly's soft, lilting accent say his name for the first time. "Uh, no. Unfortunately, she’s been bound for much longer then I’ve known her. By someone very powerful, long ago."

"I'd say." Molly turned back to Nott. "The short answer is no. I really don't think so, dear. Besides, poltergeists, though they do often feed on the arcane, mostly feed off emotions. Or both. You said you'd been stressed lately? Well it's possible she's using that." Molly's eyes drifted to where Caleb was rubbing behind his ear again, where Molly had noticed the small tattoo of a pencil when he arrived. He noted the pentacle now hanging on top of his shirt, as well as the way Caleb's other hand beat a steady rhythm into his thigh. "Anxiety is also a powerful emotion," he added gently. 

Caleb forced his hands to still and shoved them both into his pockets again. "Oh. Well, there's plenty of that." He huffed out a laugh, trying to make light of his situation. Molly smiled knowingly at him.

"So. You close around 6 pm on weekdays, right? How’s 7 o'clock Monday?"

"I-- I'm sorry, what?" Caleb could feel his face heating, not sure he had understood the question. 

"We need to research your poltergeist, find out why she's here. We can go to the library and look at property records, newspaper clippings, death records, and such. Unlike simple ghosts, we can’t just blast her into the afterlife. We need to convince her to move on. To do that, we need to understand why she’s here," he explained.

"Oh, right. Yeah, we can do that. Monday at seven. Here or the library?" Caleb blushed further at how much he had misjudged the situation.  _ You are being childish. Stay on task, Widogast. _

"Well I've got a client at six, so we can meet here after and grab a taxi. Unless you don't mind motorcycles?" Molly shot him a devilish grin. "We can just take my bike."

Caleb's heart skipped a beat, and for a moment he forgot where he was, hearing tearing metal and squealing tires…. 

_ "Caleb, you need to breathe. I know this is hard to talk about, but we need to talk about it." Dr. Trickfoot -- Pike, she insisted he call her that when they were with the family.  _

_ "He's gone, and I’m not. What is there to talk about? He's..." Caleb's chest felt like it was being ripped in two. He had been silent and angry for days, barely speaking since he had woken up in the hospital, merely trying to focus on comforting Gilmore and Keyleth through his own physical pain. But now, seeing everyone together and  _ his  _ face not in the crowd, it was too much, and Caleb had stormed out of the memorial to hide away in Gilmore’s library. He'd limped back and forth while Pike stood near the door to give him space. _

_ "I know, Caleb. Trust me... I know…." She sounded so empty, and he immediately felt bad. He stopped pacing and took a step toward her. Caleb was a newcomer to this family, still an outsider in some ways. He was letting his anger and guilt get to him when the rest of his friends were hurting just as much, maybe more. He had lost a friend. They had lost a brother, a husband, a boyfriend.  _

_ "Pike... I didn't mean..." he started, but she cut him off.  _

_ "We're all hurting, Caleb. And we all are handling this differently. If this is how you handle the loss, that's okay. It's okay to feel this way." She reached for his uninjured hand and directed him to the table in the corner. "You loved him just as much as we did. And he loved you. You are a part of this family, Caleb. And we're here for you." _

_ "But... you knew him so much longer. I should be comforting you all, not hiding in the library...." He was warring with himself to reel in the tears, control himself.  _

_ "It's never a contest of who loved who more or who knew each other longer. What's important is that we not let his loss tear the rest of us apart. What’s important is that you’re still here with us." She held his hand in both of hers as she allowed a few tears to roll slowly down her cheeks. "Caleb. We love you. And we're here to help each other through this, okay? I know you've lost people before, but you're not alone this time. Please don't hide your grief away?" She made eye contact with him, imploring him to understand.  _

_ He reached out with his free hand, the one in the cast, wiped away a tear at the corner of her lashes, and squeezed her han---- _

"Caleb? Caleb!" He could hear Nott, but her voice sounded distant. 

"Mr. Caleb? Are... are you alright?" Caleb sensed a warm hand on his shoulder. And when he blinked, the world flew into focus. He was staring into deep red, pupil-less eyes, scrunched up in concern, "are you back with us?"

Caleb's breathing was quickened, and when he reached up to rub at his face, he knew he had been crying. "I am sorry.... I am alright." He stepped back, out of the man’s reach and wiped at his face. "I um... please, not the motorcycle..."

"Alright, that's alright. We can take a taxi." Molly was still watching Caleb with concern in his eyes. Caleb saw Nott standing next to him, trying to convey a message to him with her eyes, but he couldn’t focus enough to distinguish the meaning on her less familiar halfling face.  _ Now he thinks you're a crazy person. Good job, Widogast.... _

"Thank you, Mollymauk," Caleb cleared his throat and straightened up to his full height, trying to resume a professional aura. "For coming and giving me this wonderful information. I look forward to researching this all on Monday. Did you need to see anything else?"  _ Just get through the rest of this meeting, and then you can fall apart... _

"No..." Caleb watched Molly's face smooth out. The wrinkles of concern left, replaced with some other emotion. He watched as the tiefling also straightened up, taking on the professionalism Caleb was radiating. "I think I'm finished. I'll see you Monday?"

"Absolutely. I'll walk you out." Caleb led the way back down and bid the man goodbye. The moment the lock slid into place, his shoulders slumped, and Nott was on him. 

"What happened back there? Are you okay? You haven't done something like that in a while. Should we call Dr. Trickfoot? Was it that man? When he comes back Monday, I can make him leave." She carried on while he made his way back upstairs in a haze. She was still talking when he crawled into bed, not bothering to remove his shoes. 

But she quieted as he grabbed the extra pillow, crying into it and finally letting himself fall apart.

"Oh Caleb...." He felt her cold fingers lightly brushing through his hair. She stayed silent over the next ten minutes as he cried himself out, her fingers never stilling. And when he was finally reduced to hiccups and sniffles, he spoke, his voice rough and broken.

"He asked me to ride his motorcycle, Nott. I just... I got so scared... And I... I went back to Arcadia for a second, when... he... died..."

"Shhh, shhh, Cay. It's alright. He's not going to make you; you heard him. You're taking a taxi." She really wanted to help him, but this wasn’t really her forte. 

"I keep thinking about them, Nott. About Vax... and how I left the others.... Should I have stayed? Did I abandon them?" He looked to her, his eyes desperate, his face blotchy from crying.

"Oh, hush. You know you didn't abandon them. Better yet,  _ they  _ know you didn't abandon them. Everyone knows you weren't safe there anymore, Caleb. If you ever wanted to settle down, you had to leave. Every tall, dark, and nasty was gunning for you in Arcadia." He laid his head back down on the pillow, and they were both quiet for a few moments, Nott's hands still ghosting through his hair while he caught his breath. 

"I know that..." he said, quietly. "I do. But sometimes my brain makes me feel bad for it... I know they're not mad at me or blame me for the accident. They would never…. But my head tells me it was my fault and that I did a bad thing by leaving Arcadia…."

"I know, Cay. And it's okay to feel that way. But it's even better that you know it's not true. It's been a weird month. Your routine was interrupted by the move and now the poltergeist. We just have to make it until things get more normal, and then we can settle into a new routine here. Saturdays are inventory, Sundays are movie night, Monday through Thursday is work and relax, and then maybe Fridays we can go on a walk or something. We just have to get rid of this ghosty first, okay?"

"That sounds... nice.... Thank you, Nott.... I don't know what I would be doing if you hadn't agreed to come with me...." Caleb shuffled until he could kick his shoes off the end of the bed and wiggle under the covers. 

"You'd still be here. You'd still be dealing with a poltergeist. And talking to a pretty tiefling." She paused to watch Caleb blush. "You might even still be here crying," she said more gently. "But you'd still be here, Cay. Because you're stronger than you think."

They lapsed into silence again, Caleb still sniffling and Nott shifting to lay down next to him and stare at the ceiling. "Thank you, Nott. You're a good friend."

"I know." She smiled when he laughed at her humor.  _ He's going to be okay.  _

***

Caleb spent the rest of the day in bed, reading aloud to Nott and just enjoying her company. It was peaceful, and Caleb actually got a decent amount of sleep that night, despite his dreams being a whirl of colors: mostly lavender and maroon, but some filled with black leather and the sight of asphalt and twisted metal. 

Sunday found him once again catching up on shelving books, and later a few receipts that had escaped him from earlier in the week. After doing some of the finances, he was relieved to see his account was still in the black, despite losing almost two days worth of business the week before. 

Sunday night, he received a call from Grog and promptly put it on speaker while he was making a bag of popcorn before settling in with Nott to watch another of the terrible B-rate movies she enjoyed so much. 

" _ Guten Abend, mein Freund _ ," he answered. 

"Yeah, uh, tag mine friend." Came Grog's reply, making Caleb smile fondly. His friends wanted to learn German to have something to bond with Caleb over, and Grog tried so hard. Unfortunately, not much stuck with him. It still warmed Caleb's heart when his friends tried, especially Grog. "So uh, Gil said you had a ghost problem? Are you okay? Do you need help?"

" _ Nein _ , we are okay for now. We have recruited local help. Possibly a fake, but if he is, he is a very good fake. Very convincing." Caleb poured the popcorn into a bowl and sprinkled some flavored salt on top. "It's a poltergeist, and she's not very nice."

"Wait, who isn't nice? The local help or the pol-ter-geist?" Grog stuttered over the word but sounded it out. 

"No, no. The local psychic, Mollymauk, is very nice." Caleb felt himself smiling for absolutely no reason at all, but it fell away just as fast at thoughts about the motorcycle Molly apparently rides. "The poltergeist is not very nice," Caleb said to get himself back on track. "She keeps breaking my things and throwing them." He eyed his one good mug on the counter before leaning on the island, facing the living room. He didn't want to take the phone over there and disturb Nott's movie, but he could watch and talk at the same time from where he stood. Caleb munched on a piece of popcorn, letting it soak in his mouth for a moment before chewing so the sound wouldn't interrupt the call either. "So, how are you Grog? How's Percy?"

"Oh, I'm great! I took down a vektiss with my bare hands last night!" He heard Grog make grunting noises as he flexed his arms, despite Caleb not being able to see, and Caleb laughed. 

"That sounds very impressive. You weren't alone were you?" His voice tinged with concern. Grog could handle himself just fine, but Gil had said they were being more careful now that they were down not one, but two members of their team. Caleb did not want to lose any more friends. 

"No, no. Percy was there. He was on the side, saying stuff like, 'Come on, Grog, that's poor form. That's better. Go for the soft spots.'" They both laughed at Grog's deeper voice imitating their friend's posh English accent. 

"Hey!" Caleb heard from the other side, "I do  _ not  _ sound like that," Percy complained in the background, leaving Grog and Caleb to fall into laughter again. 

"Yes, you do," they both spoke at the same time. 

"Oh man." Caleb caught his breath after the laughter, "I miss you guys..." His glee suddenly sobered as his chest tightened with the same feelings that had left him bedridden just yesterday. He found himself looking down at his hands on the counter, the tip of the dagger tattooed there sticking out from his sleeve, and ran a finger over it. "I keep thinking about Vax…."

The line was quiet for a moment, and Caleb immediately regretted bringing it up. "Yeah. We miss him too...." Grog was quiet for a moment before continuing in a slightly more excited voice, "But Kiki says there's a raven that follows her around the park, and she says it's his way of watching over her. Vex says she's seen one too." They're both silent, not sure what to say. "We miss you too, Cay. The library's so quiet without Frumpkin yelling for attention and Nott reminding you to eat."

Caleb let another sad smile spread across his face. "If it's any consolation, Frumpkin still yells for attention, and Nott still has to remind me to eat." As if on cue, Frumpkin jumped onto the counter and let out a mighty meow. Caleb heard Grog chuckle on the other end of the line. 

"Hey. You're always welcome here. And if you ever need help, we can be there in a few hours, so call us, okay?" For the second time in a few days, Caleb heard all that wasn’t said in those words.  _ You're still family. We still care. You are loved. _ And it almost overwhelmed him. "Anyway, um. Percy and Vex are having this thing for people at work and invited me. I just wanted to check on you. Call us soon?"

"Of course.  _ Auf Wiedersehen _ , Grog." Caleb disconnected and stood there for a few moments, staring down at his hands clasped on the counter. He had been so emotional these last few days, and it had just been a lot to handle. He looked up, towards the living room, and saw Nott laughing at the terrible special effects flashing on the screen.  _ You're still here. She's still here. Your friends are okay. You can still do this.  _ He nodded to himself _. You can still do this.  _ Then he joined Nott on the couch and lost himself in the spray of red corn syrup and awful acting. 

***

Monday passed slowly. Caleb was reserved, still not feeling quite himself, and observed the day through a mental fog that lifted slowly throughout the day. Nott managed most of the talking to customers. And not for the first time, he was very thankful for her. When the store finally closed, he found that he was equally anxious and exhausted, but the prospect of going to a library and doing research was familiar and comforted him. 

Caleb was gathering a few last minute things: writing utensils and a notebook, as well as one of his spell books and a few inconspicuous components, just in case. He preferred to just use the Wand of Storing now, completely full and tattooed behind his ear to avoid making it obvious he was a wizard. But sometimes he couldn’t get to it in time, and having components that could be mistaken for ordinary items made him feel safer. 

Nott was following him around as he scrambled for the things he was looking for. He was usually so organized, but this poltergeist had him scatterbrained. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? I can hide in my skull and take a nap. You won't even know I'm there."

He smiled at her concern. "No, no. I'll only be gone for a few hours, and I'll be back just after 10; that's when the library closes. Have you seen my clay cat’s paw?"

"In the drawer next to the silverware. But you don't really know the guy. He could be a serial killer, or a molester! Caleb, what if he tries to hurt you?! Oh Gods, I  _ have  _ to go with you!"

"Ah." Caleb found his clay cat's paw, with a key ring in the base, and put it on his key chain. Then he addressed Nott by looking her in the eyes, his face teasing. " _ Liebling _ . A mortal serial killer, or 'molester' as you put it, is the least of my concerns,  _ ja _ ? Even if he bests me in a physical fight, I still have my magic. And, not to brag, but I'm quite good." He smiled when she laughed a little. "You don't survive five years in Arcadia by being defenseless. You know this."

"I know... But... you get distracted around him...." She looked down at her hands. "I don't want him to surprise you…."

Caleb thought back to the few times he had seen Mollymauk. "I wouldn't say distracted.... He's just colorful, and it... I don't know. Throws me off for a second. Look at me." He slid around the kitchen island for her to get a good look at him. He was wearing light colored jeans and a black shirt with a picture of a cat-shaped bookshelf on it and the words, "Easily Distracted by Cats and Books." He was wearing his old shearling coat over it, the wool along the collar dull with age. "He's a lot for my brain to process. Even more than when Scanlan would come home."

Nott laughed at that, and Caleb continued as he walked past her to the office area, its books now back on their shelves. "And not to hit a sore spot,  _ schatz _ , but how do you plan to stop him from stabbing me?" He began sorting through a few stacks of paper, looking for his favorite pen. 

"Well... I... I wasn't really supposed to tell you, but... Gilmore gave me a way to signal him." Caleb's hands stilled in his searching. "He didn't want you to know because he was worried that you would think that  _ he  _ thought you couldn't do this move on your own…." She paused for a moment before rushing out with the rest. "But that's not true. That's not why he did it. Okay? He was just worried about his boy being all alone out here and wanted there to be an emergency signal. He loves you, Caleb. That's all…."

Caleb released a slow breath. The first thought he had was, ‘ _ Gilmore doesn't trust me to be left alone’.  _ But he ran everything she said through his head again and thought about it rationally.  _ She's right. He knows me well enough to know I won’t relapse. And even if none of the monsters know who I am, it's still a dangerous world.  _ He had always known Gil was only a call away. But in a life or death situation, he might not be able to get to his phone. And knowing Nott, who is physically invulnerable, could just  _ ping  _ him actually made Caleb relax. 

He unfroze and allowed his hands to finish their search. "Here it is," he removed his pen from the mess of papers on the desk.

When he turned around, she was standing between the two shelves that marked the entrance to the office. She was worrying at her hands and looking down. "Are you upset with us? With me?"

Caleb took two steps, putting him just in front of her, and lowered down to his knees to be face to face with her. "How could I be upset with you for taking care of me?" He held his hand out, palm up, offering it for her to take. "You and Gil are worried about me. I am worried about me. We have a common interest." He chuckled at his own joke as Nott reached her hand out, making it appear to rest in his. He felt the cool breeze he had come to know and love. This was his best friend. And though she was physically limited in what she could do, she tried so hard to do  _ everything  _ for him. 

There was a honk from outside. Caleb glanced over and saw a sliver of yellow from the window facing the street. "That's my taxi, and Mollymauk should be here shortly. I will be alright." He gave her a pointed look before climbing to his feet and heading for the stairs. He picked up the shoulder bag that he had deposited near the landing earlier and swung back to her with a smile. "If I'm not back by 11,  _ consider  _ calling Gil." 


	6. Light in a Tunnel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly and Caleb get a start on their research at the library, and the boys start to get to know each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I don't have much to say about this chapter except I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> The boys are getting to know each other! Just professionals who think their partner is kinda cute. 
> 
> Chapter Warnings:  
> Caleb has a flashback to when he met Gil and he's in bad shape  
> Vague reference to drug use  
> Homelessness

Molly was waiting on the sidewalk as Caleb locked the door of the store. The flamboyant man was wearing that ridiculous coat again, over a pair of black skinny jeans, tucked into the same boots from the day before. His shirt was tye-dyed cotton candy pink and blue and said “I’m a ray of freaking sunshine” down the front , and his hair was tied back in a french braid. "Evening, Mr. Caleb. How was your day?"

"Oh, uh. Not great, but steadily getting better. That is our taxi." He motioned towards the driver still waiting on the curb. 

"Our noble steed," Molly joked as he opened the door for Caleb, who awkwardly folded himself into the seat and slid across so Molly could get in without having to walk around into traffic. "Cobalt Soul Library please," he directed the driver as he buckled in. 

"So, Mr. Caleb. How are you liking the area so far?" Molly tried to start a friendly conversation as they pulled out into the flow of cars, their drivers headed either home or to party on 6th street. 

"I have not seen much. Nott and I went to a museum the first week, but that is all. And now I've got a dead person menacing my home. So I'd say it's a fifty-fifty experience at this point." Caleb watched the old town buildings crawl past as they drove achingly slow towards the library. He rubbed his hands together in his lap just to give them something to do. 

Molly let a small chuckle loose, "I see. Well, there's lots to see. And you have plenty of time to enjoy it all." Molly noticed how Caleb's hands moved anxiously. "We'll get your place cleansed in no time; it just takes a little work. I do this kind of thing all the time, so no need to worry." He wanted the man to believe him, to reassure him. 

Caleb hummed noncommittally, still not looking towards Molly. He was not a hundred percent sold on this psychic act, however the help researching this issue was appreciated. But that didn’t make up for the fact that he was in a car, just over a foot away from a stranger, as the sun set over the skyline. 

Molly watched Caleb for a few silent beats. The setting sun made the man's orange hair glow like a raging fire. He could see the little pencil tattoo that he had noticed the day before just behind the man's ear. He wanted to ask about it. He wanted to show Caleb his own tattoos; maybe share the stories behind the art etched into his skin. 

However, while Molly doesn't often use it and is mercilessly teased because of it, he does occasionally have the ability to 'read the room'. And the room at the moment was tense and awkward. He decided to pull out his phone and scroll his Pinterest to distract himself for the rest of the drive, politely giving Caleb his space. 

Caleb was content to watch the crowds growing on the sidewalks. Downtown Austin, 6th street particularly, was party central. Nearly every business on the street was a bar, a music venue, or a comedy club. His store, on 8th street, was far enough away that the noise didn't bother his nights, but it put him right in the heart of business, with other little magic shops and gift shops. When the holidays came, he would be very busy. 

He  _ was  _ content. Until he noticed the light of Molly's phone flash on and he turned towards the light. Molly had his head bowed over his phone, scrolling and scrolling, the little charms that hung off the device tinkling faintly in time with the jewelry in the man's horns. Every once in a while, he would pause his scrolling to tap a few buttons then continue scrolling. Caleb took the chance to observe his new companion. 

Molly's skin was a soft purple, the white light from his screen making it an even lighter shade, almost glowing. A small smile tugged at the corner of Molly's mouth at something he read, and Caleb's eyes were drawn down to it. He noticed Molly's lips were a  few shades darker than the rest of him, and Caleb realized that he must be wearing some kind of makeup because his eyelids shimmered in the glow with a fine glitter. His hands were still manicured from the day before, nails long and painted a deep maroon that both matched his coat and complimented his skin tone. Molly's horns, a much darker shade of purple that appeared nearly black in the dusk light, were decorated with the same charms he had worn on his initial visit, and Caleb now noticed there were small, delicate chains connecting some of the pieces. 

It had been a while since he had taken the time to appreciate the beauty in someone, and he was not sure why his mind chose now to do so. He shook his head to clear his thoughts and decided to look away before Molly noticed him staring, resigning himself to looking back out the window for the rest of the drive. 

***

They approached the grand entrance to the Cobalt Soul Library, the double doors a polished bronze.  _ Are all the doors in this state made of metal?  _ Caleb reached them first and opened one for Molly, holding it while the man thanked him and entered. To the right of the entrance was the children's section, with colorful reading mats, game boards, and paintings on the walls and windows. It looked like a daycare to Caleb, and he shuddered to think of all the noise that could accrue there on weekends. To the  left of the doors were a set of elevators and a sign that listed which rooms and floors held different services. Further in, he could see a help desk and the entry to the main floor of the library.

The second floor held the property records, so they headed there first. In the elevator, Caleb made a point not to stand too close to Molly, respecting his space. Despite his efforts to maintain a distance, he could smell faint lavender and incense coming from the man. The atmosphere was awkward, and Caleb was not equipped to deal with it. 

"So, you've got an accent, Mister Caleb. Where are you from?" Molly asked as the elevator opened to the second floor. Caleb nearly jumped from the sudden break of silence.

"Originally or recently?" Caleb replied, controlling his voice and following signs to the property records room. 

"Hmm. Good question. How about originally? You've got me intrigued." Molly followed closely behind him, content to let the human lead. He seemed to know his way around libraries well enough. 

Caleb was silent for a moment. He stopped outside the door to the records room and turned to Molly with a strange expression. "With an accent like yours, you really don't recognize mine? It took me a while to place your accent, but you're Irish, yes?" His questions seemed prying, but his tone sounded genuinely curious. 

Molly hesitated. He knew that wasn't meant to be a jab, but it almost felt like one. "Uh, yeah. I actually grew up here, but my dad's from Ireland. I guess I talk like him, with a little Texan mixed in. Living here, I've always been the one with the odd accent, so I'm not used to meeting others. I guess that means you're European, if you thought I'd recognize it?"

Caleb reached for the door and opened it. "You are correct. Eastern Germany. But I have been in the US for most of my life, I just can’t shake the accent." He allowed himself a small chuckle as Molly entered the room and Caleb followed him in. The room was medium sized and filled from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, with boxes upon boxes labeled 'Property Records' on cramped shelves. There was a tall, wide-shouldered man with scruffy hair wearing jeans and a blue plaid shirt, squeezing through the stacks towards them from the back. 

"Hello there. How can I help you today?" Caleb's head barely came to the man's clavicle, and he had a perfect view of the man's name tag; it read 'Sam'.

"Oh,  _ ja,  _ hello." Caleb looked up to the man’s face. He was handsome, in a really tall, somewhat intimidating, bookish kind of way. Caleb decided to tell a half truth; no need to alarm the man with talk of ghosts and such. "I have recently moved into a store downtown, and I've found some things in the attic. I was hoping to find the names of the previous few owners to try to get them their things back. Could you point us in the right direction?"

The man stared at Caleb blankly for a moment before looking to Molly and letting a small smile break across his face. When Caleb turned to look at Molly, the tiefling was covering his mouth and trying desperately not to laugh. "He one of yours, Molly?"

Caleb swung back to Sam, confused. "One of... I'm sorry?" Caleb felt like he was missing something important, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.

"Yes he is, Sam." Molly's voice had a suggestive tone as he answered, and Caleb's stomach gave a flip. Molly stepped forward and handed Sam a piece of paper. "Poltergeist at this address. We're gonna need to know the names and business names of all the previous tenants and owners for... oh twenty years?" Molly looked up to see Caleb still utterly confused. Molly grinned, and Caleb's mind blanked, momentarily forgetting about the thing he was missing; forgetting that it was bothering him. 

Sam opened the paper, reading it. "Poltergeist. Nasty." He moved to a desk in the far right corner of the room and started flipping through a manifest-like document. 

As they waited, Caleb looked back and forth between Sam and Molly, trying to figure out how he had become part of an inside joke.

"I'm here a lot. Sometimes with clients." Molly said as way of explanation. "But I'm not so great at the research parts. Sam helps. He knows what I do."

"Ah. Alright, that block of addresses are going to be on shelf J4. Look for anything marked ‘Congress District', '8th Street District', or 'Old Towne'. I'm afraid that's as far as I can narrow it down. Anything else? Has Detective Stone got anything for you this week?"

"Not yet. But it's just Monday." Molly laughed and started towards the shelves. 

Caleb had been utterly thrown by the interaction and was struggling to get his brain back on track. "You uh, do a lot of research? For your work?"

Molly hummed in agreement as he began looking for the labels they needed. He found one box and tucked it under his arm as he continued looking. "If I can avoid it, I do. Like I said, I'm not so good at it. But that's what Sam’s for." 

Sam’s voice drifted from the back of the room, from the direction he had emerged from when they’d first entered. "I see how it is, Molly. I'm just a tool to you."

Molly laughed again, and Caleb's heart fluttered. "The best tool, darling." 

*** 

In the end, they found a total of eleven boxes with the labels Sam suggested, placing each of them at the front of the room as they kept looking. "Wow. That's a lot." Molly and Caleb stood, looking at the not-small pile of papers they had to go through. "This is going to take days...." Molly sounded defeated, and Caleb never wanted to hear that tone from the man again; he just didn't understand why.

"Days?" Caleb said, trying to calculate his own reading speed. "Two, tops. Maybe less." There was a small table set near Sam's desk, and Caleb grabbed the first of many boxes and headed towards it. "It's only seven fifty-six; we can easily knock half of these out today."

Molly grabbed his own box and balked at the idea of finishing half of them by closing time but kept his opinions to himself. He was there as a consultant, not as a friend. Yet. He smiled to himself, setting a personal goal to become well acquainted with Caleb by the time the poltergeist was gone, if not sooner. 

Caleb pulled out a notebook and a pen from his bag. "The way I figure it, we need to find all of the previous tenants then cross reference their information with suspicious death reports and newspaper articles. If you find a listing for the address, write it here with names, contact info if it's listed, and the dates of residency."

Molly looked between the notebook and Caleb, who was already opening his box and pulling out the first handful of files. "You seem to know a lot about this kind of process. Have you done it before?"

Caleb hesitated with his answer but was very careful to keep his hands moving so the tiefling wouldn't notice. Molly already knew that he dabbled in magick. Although he didn't want it to be public knowledge, what harm could it do? As long as the conversation didn't sway towards his arcane abilities, he should be okay. "I have. I helped a friend with their own research back home. You could say I was their 'Sam'." The tall human gave a chuckle from his desk nearby, and Caleb allowed a small smirk to appear. 

Molly smiled as he opens his own box; he liked Caleb's shy smiles and wanted to see them more. "When you say back home..? Where's that for you if it's not Germany?"

Caleb's smile fell a fraction, a melancholy tilt as opposed to his amused grin from before. Molly immediately regretted asking. "Florida. I moved from Florida. I needed out of there…. It wasn't safe…." The last part was mumbled so quietly Molly wasn't sure he was meant to hear it, and so he dropped the subject for the time being, instead focusing on the miles and miles of papers to sort through. 

***

By the time Sam announced closing time at 10 o'clock, they had sorted through nearly five of their eleven boxes, and Molly was impressed; Caleb's reading speed helped a lot. So far, they had found four names, one of which Molly added as they were leaving. "Caduceus Clay? Caddy's Shack? What on  _ earth  _ is that?" Caleb asked, staring at the notebook as they made their way back to the elevator. 

Molly snorted, and it was the most adorable thing Caleb had ever heard. "Yeah. It started off as a shack years ago when he first opened, and it's Caddy's. So, Caddy's Shack. He was the tenant before you. Good muffins, even better tea." Molly closed his eyes and made a blissful sound that was almost erotic, and Caleb blushed. 

"Oh," was all he could say as he scrambled to put the notebook into his bag. After they’d started working, they had mostly elapsed into silence, except when Molly would start giggling at a silly name or business proposal. Caleb quickly noticed how Molly would use his finger to follow words and sentences, sounding out the words silently to himself. Caleb wondered how often Molly was given the opportunity to read, but he thought it rude to ask. Overall, Caleb was pleased with their research progress, despite Molly's slower pace and Caleb being distracted by his company.

They exited into the cool March night, and Caleb tugged his coat closed against the chill. Molly, in his jeans and long coat, seemed to be doing just fine, considering his tiefling blood. They started walking towards a busier street, hoping to catch a taxi back to the store. 

"So..." Molly started, and Caleb turned his head slightly towards him. "We were so busy that we didn't get to talk much. You said you were from Florida. What has you coming here to Texas? You don't seem to be a live music or party person."

Caleb was quiet for a moment, considering his answer. Something about this strange purple man made him want to trust him, to open up and spill his story. The first time he’d met him, Caleb had felt a physical pull towards him, something he still hadn't identified. He knew trusting a stranger was ridiculously dangerous, especially for a man like himself. He had too many secrets, too many demons in his past. Molly clearly had some connections with the dark side of this world, something Caleb had come here specifically to avoid. But here he was, tangling with it again. 

"I inherited a business. But the town I was in was not great. So I did some research and found a better town. Now I am in Austin, being haunted by a dead person. And I miss... I miss the people I left behind." None of it was a lie, but it was best to be as vague as possible, he decided. 

Caleb saw Molly's ears drop slightly. "Oh, so you had family in Florida? That must've been hard to leave them." Molly's voice matched his expression, a look of understanding behind his eyes and Caleb wondered what part Molly sympathized with. 

" _ Ja _ . A family of sorts. They are my friends, but they helped me through the darkest parts of my life." Caleb remembered the day Gilmore had extended a perfectly manicured hand down to him, holding a sandwich as a peace offering. 

_ Caleb wanted to hate the pretty man in his expensive business suit, shiny eye makeup, hair expertly styled, and perfectly tanned skin. But he was so hungry that he really couldn't afford to be picky. He snatched the sandwich from the man and began eating with a ravenous hunger. How long since he’d had actual food? Was it three days this time? Four?  _

_ He had expected the pretty man to leave after giving him the food. But after he finished about half of the sandwich, he realized the man was still standing over him. Caleb's frantic chewing slowed, and he began looking around for an escape. He was sitting against a wall, near the mouth of an alleyway, and the man was standing in the opening. Caleb could try to run further down, but he wasn't sure which alley he was in having lost track in his blind stumbling the night before, so he couldn't be sure there would be an exit if the man gave chase.  _

_ "Thank you...." he ventured to say, his voice rough and his accent thick from disuse. He figured he should play nice. He couldn’t be sure what the man actually wanted from him. "I... I can't pay you back…. I'm sorry."  _

_ "Now now, there's no need for that." The man squatted down where he stood. Caleb still felt cornered, but at least they were at eye level now. "I've heard you like books. And I've heard you've got a gift in the arcane." _

_ Caleb eyed the man suspiciously as he continued chewing the last few bites of his food. A job maybe? He hadn't had a fix in almost a week, and the headache and the shaking in his hands was getting worse. If he could get some money out of this man, all the better. " _ Ja _. Sometimes. For the right price. What do you need me to do?"  _

_ The man smiled at him. But it was a sad smile. One of pity. And Caleb hated it with a rage so deep inside that his stomach curled, threatening to expel his hastily devoured meal. But if he wanted the money, he had to play along. The man spoke, his voice irritatingly smooth and calming. "Come with me. I can help you, and you can help me. How's that sound?" _

"I'm sorry." Molly's voice pulled him back to the present. "I didn't mean to ask anything painful."

"Oh, no no. It's not that. I mean, I miss them. And that's painful, I suppose." Caleb thought about his next words carefully. "And things weren't the greatest when I left. Which also hurts. But they are my family. And the things they helped me through are just reminders that they care. I can look back on the darkest parts of my life and know, that is not what life is meant to be. The smiles, the jokes, the dinners, and the home we shared is what life is about." He paused and dared to take a look at Molly, walking beside him. Caleb had no earthly idea why he was talking so much, but he couldn't stop himself when he saw Molly's face. 

Molly wore a smile of appreciation, of encouragement, as he watched Caleb and listened. His eyes seemed to sparkle in the street lights, more than they had before, and Caleb noticed how beautiful the dark crimson was when they reflected the white lights. "It took me a long time to realize that," he said to Molly before turning his attention back to the sidewalk in front of him. "To realize that there is almost always a light at the end of the tunnel." 

"That's... That's beautiful, Mr. Caleb. Truly." Molly's voice sounded tight, a little rough. Caleb slowed his steps to stop walking and turned to Molly, concerned.  _ Not only does he think you're crazy, now you have made him upset. You are making friends quickly, Widogast,  _ he chastised himself as he glanced over the tiefling, who had also now stopped walking. 

"I am sorry. I'm not sure why I said those things." Caleb looked down to where their boots were only about a foot apart on the pavement. "That is heavy talk for a professional setting. Forgive me."

"Oh I don't mind," Molly waved it off, bringing a smile back to his face. "Molly 'overshare' Tealeaf is my name. Once I start talking, you'll never get me to stop. Besides, it's a lovely way to look at the world."

"Oh. Thank you. Like I said, it took me a while to adopt that philosophy. And even now, I falter in my resolve. But Nott helps keep me on track. I am so thankful she agreed to come with me." Caleb's voice lightened as he turned to finish the walk to the corner, and Molly perked up. He hadn't meant to make the situation so deep by asking about the man's family, but it seemed that Nott was a topic that made him happy.

"Tell me about Nott. She's interesting. How'd you meet her?" Caleb laughed and jumped into a heavily doctored version of how he’d met Nott the Brave. 

The taxi ride back stood in contrast to their first ride together. Caleb finished his tale about Nott, leaving out the names of his friends and refusing to discuss her bindings without her permission. But from there, the conversation strayed from one topic to the next, light and easy. Molly was happy to see a different side of the man, talking animatedly about his best friend and some of the things they'd done together. Molly shared about his friendship with Yasha, the brusque yet gentle woman on the phone at Fletching and Moondrop, and talked a little about his strange roommate. 

When they arrived back at Paperback Wizard to drop Caleb off, Molly leaned out the window of the taxi after Caleb had climbed out, "Same time tomorrow, Mr. Caleb?"

" _ Ja _ ." Caleb smiled warmly. "I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Mollymauk." And then the taxi was pulling from the curb. Molly pulled his head back inside, careful of his horns, and smiled to himself. 

***

Molly punched in the code for his building and, still smiling, bounded up the two flights of stairs to the 3rd floor. He was buzzing with excitement as he practically skipped to his door and keyed open the lock. He was immediately hit with the smell of stir-fry: bell peppers and mushrooms, mixed with rice noodles. 

"Hmm." He hummed in appreciation as he locked the door behind himself and hung his coat on a hook. "That smells so good, as usual. Caddy, you spoil me."

Caduceus Clay, seven feet of soft, pink, gentle giant, hunched over a skillet in the kitchen. He turned his head towards the door at the sound of Molly entering. "I spoil myself; you and Miss Yasha just benefit." He smiled before returning to his craft as Molly laughed. 

The Tealeaf-Clay-and-sometimes-Nydoorin residence was small but comfortable. Plants lined every windowsill, some hanging in swinging pots nearby. The couch and armchairs were a plum purple, and the floor was covered in overlapping rugs, not a single one of them similar in any way except for being rugs. Tapestries depicting the tree of life, peace signs, and pyramids lined most of the walls, bright colors mixing and swirling, and someone less used to the chaos could possibly get dizzy trying to follow the logic. 

Hint: there wasn't any logic to it - just Molly's pure love for color and life manifesting in their living room. Caduceus really didn't have any objections as long as his plants got plenty of sun and water. 

And there, in one of the armchairs, with an outdoorsy-looking magazine in her lap, sat his very best friend. Yasha's hair was midnight black up top, fading to a pale white at the ends, twisted carefully into neat dreads interspersed with charms and beads, and pulled back away from her face. She looked up and offered a soft smile as he entered, her mismatched purple and blue eyes finding him briefly before returning to her reading. And Molly just couldn't have that, now could he?

"Yasha, dear." He swayed his way to her, took the magazine from her gently, and placed it face down on the floor so she wouldn't lose her page. He sat delicately on one of her knees then proceeded to dramatically throw himself across her lap. His head hung off one arm of the chair with a hand poised daintily on his forehead, his legs over the other arm of the chair, and most of his weight balanced on her legs, his tail swishing in the open air next to him. "I have a problem, and I don't know what to do. Oh,  _ Yasha _ ! Woe is me!" he whined in his most dramatic voice.

"Oh, dear." She put her arms around his waist in a loose embrace, helping to keep him from slipping to the floor. "How terrible." She was playing along in a much more subdued voice. "What ails you, my friend?"

"The pretty ginger boy from next door has my heart in knots! And he only sees me in a professional light.  _ Oh! _ It breaks me so!" Molly was having to actively keep himself from laughing at himself as he continued on. 

"Molly." Yasha's voice became a bit more stern with concern. She was no longer sure how much her friend was joking and how much he was pretending. "You've seen him three times, all in professional settings. How is he supposed to see you?"

Molly sat up in her lap so he was leaning back against her chest, and her arms hugged him around his middle. "I'm not sure, but would it be too much to hope he'd notice how pretty I am?" He heard Caduceus moving around in the kitchen, finishing up their late dinner. 

"How do you know he hasn't?" she asked. "Besides. He's new to town, Molly. And you said during your walk about how he burst into tears over something you said. He's clearly stressed out. Maybe your usual routine isn't a good idea right now."

Molly considered it and realized she was probably right. Caleb wasn't like his other exploits: fun and messy and usually over by the end of the week. Caleb was soft and gentle. Maybe a bit emotional, but who was he to complain? Just last week, Molly had cried over a broken nail. Caleb was different, but Molly wasn't sure why. "I can go slow if that's what he needs. I can do that. Test the waters, let him steer." He turned his head, mindful of his horns, to look up at Yasha. "But I have to tell you, he is so smart! And Yasha,  _ his eyes _ !! They're so blue, and they just light up when he---"

  
  


***

" _ Liebchen, _ " Caleb closed and locked the shop door, calling out to Nott. "I am home, with plenty of time to spare." He twisted away from the front door, and she was standing there between the shelves, where before was empty air, looking him over from head to toe. If he wasn't so used to her appearing and disappearing, he may have been startled. She was evaluating him, and he chuckled before beginning the trip upstairs. 

"Well?" She demanded. "Was he nice? Did you talk? Was he creepy or mean? Was he annoying?" She continued asking questions all the way up the stairs, and he smiled to himself as he set his bag on the floor and fell into the couch. And finally, as if she had forgotten what the goal was for the day, "Oh, did you find anything useful?" She hopped onto the couch next to him. 

Caleb shifted so he was facing her with his back to the arm of the couch. " _ Ja _ , it was a start. We have more to look through tomorrow, but we were able to find four names, one of which Molly knows as the most recent tenant. So things are looking promising so far."

"Good, good. So that means you're seeing him again?" Nott looked at Caleb with an encouraging grin, and he wasn't quite sure how to interpret the meaning. 

" _ Ja _ ? We still have work to do. Even once we find all the names, we will still need to research them, or maybe even reach out to them. Why are you looking at me that way, Nott?" He eyed her suspiciously. 

"Nothing. I'm just glad you're getting out and, you know. Making friends. You need friends, Caleb." 

"I have you. You're all I need." He smiled at her to reassure her, but he could tell she didn't agree.


	7. The Bad Things Lead to The Great

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Research continues, Caleb and Molly get to know each other a little better, and Molly reveals some of his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> So... Molly had a mind of his own here. I hadn't even thought of a backstory for him when I wrote this chapter, but as I wrote, it just happened. He wrote his own story, I hope he did okay with it, lol. 
> 
> That being said, this might be a heavy chapter for some people. The backstory comes near the end when they are at the cafe. Please read with caution. (It's not extremely detailed, but it's there.) This is also a reminder that Paperback can be a dark, sad story. It has a happy ending, but the path to that ending is fraught with secrets and recovery. Please be careful. 
> 
> Content warnings:   
> Caleb taking a detailed look at Molly's scars, some of them implied to be self harm related  
> Mentions of Caleb's previous self harm scars  
> Mentions of failed-suicide resulting in memory loss
> 
> Thanks again to Code and Mar. You're my saviors.

The following day went much the same as the previous day, however Caleb's mood seemed to be improving, owed to him having something other than work to focus on. Research he could do. Research he was good at. 

He made his way through the day in less of a fog and more on autopilot. He made his coffee, got dressed for the day, opened the store, and read 'To Kill a Mockingbird' at the counter between helping customers. It was a decent day, and nothing peculiar happened. By closing time, Caleb was feeling... not  _ excited  _ per se, but definitely looking forward to a night at the library with Mollymauk. 

Just before seven, he grabbed his shoulder bag from near the sofa, still packed from the night before, and gave similar instructions to Nott as he migrated back downstairs. "If I'm not back by 11, you can call Gilmore."

"Alright, Caleb. Stay safe, have fun." Nott seemed more relaxed this time than she had when he’d left the day before, her voice holding an unfamiliar tone. But he didn't have time to question it before he was turning around after locking the door, to be met immediately with the vibrant visage of Molly waiting on the sidewalk with their cab door already opened. 

He felt himself smiling; he couldn't help it. "Good evening, Mollymauk. How was your day?" he asked as he slid across the seat to the opposite door. 

"Well," Molly began, after directing the driver to the library. "Aunt Agnus came in for her monthly reading today. She's not really my aunt, but she's older and widowed and doesn't have any kids. And she always smells like those fancy cigarettes?" Molly turned his head and smiled at him, and Caleb could feel a heat rush to his cheeks, so he quickly looked at the streets outside the window. "Anyway, so she comes in today and tells me this ridiculous story about how she had a prophetic dream about her dog getting sick. She asked me to do a reading for her  _ dog _ , Caleb. I had to hold out a deck of tarot and let her Pomeranian choose the cards...." 

Caleb laughed. "They sound like a character. A regular of yours, then?" Caleb watched the sun set out the window to avoid looking at Molly's face, but he was relieved that the conversation was less awkward and flowing more easily than it had been the night before. 

"Oh yes, I've got a few like that." The conversation lulled for a few blocks before Molly picked it back up again. "How was your day? Busy, I hope?" Molly asked, and Caleb was surprised to hear genuine interest. 

" _ Nein _ . It was just a mediocre day. But I predict the crowds will grow this summer, and again when the school year starts." Caleb swung his gaze from the door to finally face Molly again. "Supply and demand, you know?"

"Ah, yes. Supply and demand." Molly's teasing smile could've lit up the cab in that moment, but Caleb looked back to the setting sun and tried hard to not think about it. 

***

When they arrived at the property records room, Sam was at his desk, working on his laptop, and the remainder of their boxes were where they had left them. Wanting to at least get this step in the process over with, Caleb immediately grabbed a box and launched into sorting through it. But after Molly settled across from him, he discovered his attention occasionally drifting. 

This close, with the brighter lights of the room and Molly bent over his own report, Caleb could see that Molly had freckles across his cheeks and nose - not a lot, but a few tiny pinpricks of color much lighter than his skin. They appeared to be such a lighter shade that they looked nearly white, like little stars across a lavender sky. Caleb could almost imagine drawing lines between them to create constellations. 

Molly's lips moved as he read, silently sounding out the words on the page, following his manicured finger as it ran across the paper. Molly had changed his nail color to a bright blue, with little specks of glitter today, and Caleb briefly wondered if there was a method that he used when he chose different colors. 

He had also taken off his coat and draped it on a chair next to him, leaving his arms bare up to the shoulder in the loose, skater tank top he was wearing. When Caleb had first met the man, he had purposefully looked away from the little criss-crossing scars running up and down Molly's arms. But now, he took a moment to study the slightly raised tissue. He could see the ones he had noticed first, the frantic lines on his biceps, too close together and too straight to be anything other than what he thought they were. Unconsciously, Caleb's hands moved under the table, rubbing at one of the thick scars on his own wrist as he observed the other marks. 

Molly's hair was up in a loose bun, curls falling here and there around his horns. Since his hair was out of the way, Caleb also noticed deeper, thicker cuts where his neck met his shoulders on both sides, almost as if those specific scars had been opened over and over again through many years. Scars like those two, deeper and thicker, occasionally graced his forearms as well. He had never seen self harm like that before, but he knew it was rude to ask. 

"Take a picture, dear, it'll last longer." Molly's head remained bowed as he spoke, but it caused Caleb to jump, startled.  Molly had a teasing tone, but Caleb was ashamed that he had been caught staring at the other man. "You've been staring at me for almost 10 minutes." He finally looked up to meet Caleb's eyes. "Like what you see?" The smile Molly gave Caleb in that moment made Caleb's stomach flip and his heart stutter at the same time as somewhere in his addled mind he realized that Mollys lavender skin and freckles reminded him of the lazurite stone he saw at the museum several days before. 

"I--I'm sorry, I didn't mean-- I'm sorry." Caleb dropped his gaze to the papers in front of him. He was so embarrassed that he could feel his face heating again, and there was a prickling at the corners of his eyes. 

"Hey. Hey, it's alright." Molly's hand appeared in his view on the table, almost reaching for him. "Caleb, I like being noticed. I like people seeing me. It's alright, dear, really." His voice was soft and kind, the teasing tone gone now. It reminded him of his mother. He realized with a start that where his thumb had been rubbing over his own scars a moment ago, he had begun digging his thumb nail in, and he quickly separated his hands under the table to grip his knees. 

Caleb forced himself to breathe through his nose until the stinging in his eyes subsided. "I-- Let’s just finish this, _ ja _ ?" Caleb forced a small smile when he glanced back up at Molly, scared to see judgment in the man’s eyes. Instead, he saw... something else. Something soft, and it jarred him for a moment before he compelled himself to start reading again, ignoring how Molly hesitated to pull his hand back and resume his own reading.

***

The library closed at 10 o'clock, but they'd finished with the property records just before 9:30 pm. Molly suggested they go to the cafe that the library had downstairs, in the back of the fiction section. Though Caleb felt fine, he could see the mental exhaustion on Molly's face, and so he agreed to head down early with him; the next step could wait for the following day. Reading for hours could be stressful for someone who wasn't used to it, and he didn't want to stress Molly. 

The cafe was named Blue Poppy and was tucked into the far west corner of the library. An overfilled counter showcased baked goods and tip jars, manned by a tired-looking barista. At this time of night, the few tables were empty, save for a college student with a laptop and nearly a dozen empty coffee cups spread on the table next to him. Caleb felt pity for the man but did  _ not  _ miss those days. 

"What can I get you?" The barista was a young, half elf girl, clearly still in high school. She seemed to be eyeing Molly with some interest, effectively ignoring Caleb. 

"Oh, just get me the most ridiculously sweet, candy-coated creation you have. And whatever he wants." Molly stepped to the side so Caleb could look at the menu taped to the counter. 

"You do not need to pay for me, Mollymauk. I can get my own." The only time someone had offered to buy him something was when Gilmore insisted he get new clothes before he started working in his shop. And even then, Caleb considered his working at the shop part of paying that back. He had no intention of starting a debt with a man he was to be paying at the end of this poltergeist business. 

"Don't worry about it dear. My treat. Hmm." Molly glanced over the menu. "How’s the lavender mocha? That sounds nice." Molly looked to Caleb for confirmation before telling the girl to add it to the order. _Lavender in coffee? That sounds terrible,_ Caleb thought. But he didn't want to argue, so he let his companion order it. 

Molly paid, and they made their way to a table nearby to wait for their drinks. Caleb ensured that he took the seat with his back to the wall, just in case. "You really did not have to do that. I could have gotten my own." He was staring at the edge of the table to avoid Molly's eyes. Under the table, in his lap, he fiddled with the edge of his jacket sleeve again. 

"I don't mind. Besides, you've ordered the taxis both days. The least I can do is get you a drink." The woman from the counter came up and dropped off their cups, her eyes lingering on Molly for longer than they needed to. Caleb noticed there was a napkin under Molly's drink but not his. 

"Oh thank you, dear." Molly smiled up at her but quickly turned his attention back to Caleb. 

They both reached for their drinks. Molly crumbled the napkin and made a toss for the trashcan a few feet away. "Yes, but you're working for me, are you not? I cannot expect you to pay for transportation. That would make me a poor employer." Caleb sipped at his drink and was surprised that lavender  _ did  _ actually work well in coffee. 

Molly didn't say anything for a moment, stirring the ungodly amount of sprinkles and whipped cream into his drink. "I suppose you're right. But you've been a lovely employer so far. Think of this as a thank you." Caleb watched Molly take a sip, how his lips wrapped around the straw. He saw, for just a moment, the peek of fangs when he pulled back to resume talking. "Anyway," his voice neutral. "I saw you looking at my arms. I don't mind. You can ask if you want." He purposefully glanced to the side of Caleb, pretending to admire some abstract art hung there behind him, giving the human his space. 

"I..." Molly heard Caleb hesitate. "I am sorry, Mollymauk. I did not mean to stare. It was rude of me. I know it is hard for strangers to stare at you." Molly knew he had a lot of scars, but he also knew that the scars were a part of him; he refused to be ashamed of them. They told a story. That he’d overcome his past and he's  _ alive,  _ dammit. It wasn’t a secret story, but it was one he only told when someone cared enough to ask. 

"Seriously, Caleb. Stop apologizing. I know they're there, and I'm telling you it's okay that you noticed." He chuckled to himself. "It's hard not to see them, isn't it?" Molly continued to stir his drink and look at the other pieces of art around the little shop.

"It... is. I saw them when you first came into my store. They... are from self harm, are they not?" Caleb was at least looking at him now, so Molly risked a small smile. 

"They are. When I was young, I apparently had a grudge against life. I hurt myself a lot. Wanting to let go, wanting to forget. Until one day, I did." He took a sip of his drink to assess Caleb's reaction.

"You let go of the grudge?" Caleb looked curious and a little concerned, wondering how this bright person could ever be what he’d described. 

"I let go. I died. One day, I mixed some pills with a whole bottle of whiskey." Molly had another sip, nearing the end of the sugary concoction. "And then I forgot. I woke up three weeks later with no idea who I was. And I had my gifts."

"Molly, I... You don't remember anything?" Caleb was truly concerned now. His forehead scrunched up in the most adorable way, and he leaned forward in his seat. 

"Nope." Molly smiled wide, showing his fangs. He was used to people’s reactions by now. "But the way I see it, I must've been truly miserable. I wanted to die. And so I did. He did. And in his place, I was born." He gave a little cocky wiggle in his seat, spreading his arms a bit in show. "I like my life. And now I get to read people’s fortunes and help people with their ghosts. I get to meet people like you."

"You... see this as a gift? The pain you went through?" The wrinkle between Caleb's eyebrows was the cutest thing Molly had seen the man do so far. He could see Caleb thinking over something, considering what he was learning.

"I do. From what I've been told, from the belongings I had on me when I was found, I was a terrible person living a terrible life. But now I'm happy. I have wonderful friends, and I love my job. Caleb." He waited until he saw pretty blue irises looking into his own before he leaned forward across the table. "Sometimes bad things lead to great things." Molly gave a playful smirk. "And I think I'm pretty great." 

Caleb considered his words for a long moment. He thought about his own past, the pain he’d both suffered and caused. He thought about his recovery and his own brief attempt on his life. And then he thought about Gilmore's kindness. He thought about his time singing songs in Grog's truck, making political jokes with Percy, helping Keyleth care for the rabbits and birds in their backyard. He remembered listening to Scanlan's first job in voice acting and everyone, including Scanlan, laughing at it together on movie night. 

He remembered the last four Christmas and Thanksgiving dinners. And he understood. 

He nodded. "Sometimes bad things lead to great things…." Caleb smiled back at Molly as he committed the phrase to memory. "You're right. Thank you for sharing that with me." He saw Molly's face soften, playfulness set aside for the time being as he leaned back into his seat. 

"Anytime, dear. Now." His face brightened again. "This dark topic has sucked the fun right out of our night, and the poor clerks probably want to close up. How about we each talk about the most ridiculous movie we've ever seen while we walk to the taxi lane?" 


	8. Murder He Wrote

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly arrives unannounced on Saturday dragging Caleb to a crime scene, Molly introduces Detective Stone and reveals that the city of Austin may be plagued by something sinister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A second plot in my Widomauk fic? It's more likely then you think! 
> 
> I'm not sure what to say about this chapter without spoiling it. lol We hit 1000 hits, so I'm stoked about that!!! We're only half done! I can't wait to see what you all think about this new addition. <3 Thank you so much for reading and sticking to this!
> 
> Mar and Code, again, coming through with them edits! Ali and Panda from the WM discord helped me come up with the Soul Wight creature.
> 
> I also realize I never rated this fic. I chose Teen due to heavy themes, and canon typical violence. But it's nothing worse then you can find in a tv drama, or a crime show, or a YA fiction novel. Just watch the tags and content warnings. 
> 
> Content warnings:  
> Scientific description of a corpse

Caleb had seemed to be in higher spirits most of Wednesday. Despite the fact that he had wanted to get away from this kind of work, _this_ was what he was good at. Finding information was where he excelled. And besides, he loved a good library. 

"Now that we have these seven names, we can look for marriage and death records relating to them and for immediate family." Caleb was chatting excitedly as they entered the library Wednesday evening. "Then we can check those names, along with the addresses in Nexis. Find any crimes associated with any of the information." Molly found himself only half listening, watching Caleb wave his hands excitedly as he talked, his eyes lit up like stars. His voice was nearly mesmerizing to listen to, deep and rich with his accent, rising and falling with exuberance. 

"Mollymauk." Molly jolted out of his musings when he heard his name. Caleb was smiling at him. It was a small, shy smile, but a smile nonetheless, and Molly returned it without hesitation. 

"Yes, dear?"

Caleb huffed in amusement. "Were you listening to me, Mollymauk? You seem distracted." 

"Sorry, I _am_ a bit distracted." He hesitated a moment before continuing, but he decided to take the leap. "Has anyone ever told you you're cute when you get excited?"

Caleb's steps faltered, and his face flared red with a choking sound. Molly was concerned he may have offended the man, his mind going into overdrive trying to find a way to recover the situation. 

" _Basta_ ..." Caleb seemed to have slipped into another language as he kicked his brain back into gear. " _Nein_. Sorry, eh, that is to say, no. No one has said that to me before, Mollymauk." Caleb's face scrunched up as he looked to the floor, like he did when he was thinking hard about something, but otherwise he was silent. 

When the elevator opened onto the second floor, instead of going straight, towards the property records, they did a little turn around, entering the main floor behind the elevators. There was a large desk in the center, with a little gnomish woman who looked bored behind it. They passed the woman and made their way to a row of computers set against the wall, both of them logging in with their library card numbers. 

The outdated computers took several minutes to boot up, and Molly sat, panicking the entire time. Caleb hadn't said anything since he had complimented the man. Instead, he had pulled out his notebook and was rereading the names they had found, making notes and seemingly mumbling to himself in that other language. 

Caleb had been trying hard not to show how shaken he was from their interaction. _It is just a compliment, what is wrong with you? Why are you flustered? And you did not even say thank you._ To cover some of his discomfort, he began scribbling notes in German in his notebook, not even related to the case, just something to keep his hands busy. As soon as the computers started up, they made a few quick searches for marriage and death records on an ancestry site and added the names of the children and spouses of the owners they had found previously to the list, notating death dates when they were listed. 

Then Caleb navigated them both to Nexis, an online database for crimes that could be searched by dates, names, and address. This was where he was hoping to find his poltergeist. 

Occasionally, Caleb would find a death nearby to his address, close enough to maybe cause a spirit to find its way into his home. He would mention the name and description to Molly, who in turn would reply, "No, that doesn't feel right. Keep looking." 

And so it went for an hour or so, before Molly pointed to his screen. "What about this one: 'female, 19, found dead in alley off 8th st, puncture wounds around her neck, she seemed to have starved to death, and/or,' - it actually says - 'and/or,' jeez. 'And/or overdosed.' Oh goodie, there's a photo...." Molly turned his screen, and Caleb looked up at it. 

The puncture wounds mentioned on her neck went all the way around, in a perfect ring. "That wasn't an overdose; that was a Soul Wight. And they devour souls, so she can't be the poltergeist." His voice was level and serious. It sounded matter-of-fact, leaving no room for questions. Caleb turned back to his screen and continued looking through his own list of names, leaving Molly a little stunned. 

"A... Soul Wight...? But I thought those were in the north?" Molly was stuck between being shocked that Caleb knew what a Soul Wight was and being shocked at the idea of one in Austin. 

Without looking from his screen, Caleb responded. " _Ja_ , true. But last December, when that girl died, there was a mass migration due to hunters in the north trying to eradicate them."

Now Molly was absolutely baffled that this seemingly ordinary man, who occasionally dabbled in Magick, would know a thing like that. Molly was constantly surrounded by that world, and even he hadn't known about the migration of Soul Wights through his own city. Molly stared at Caleb, who had his face glued to his screen, the blue in his eyes washed out by the white of the site they were using. Slowly, Molly noticed Caleb turn pink, then red with a blush.

"Thank you," Caleb said suddenly, ducking his head bashfully. "I did not say so earlier, because I do not always agree with the praise given to me, but thank you for your compliment earlier, Mollymauk. It was very kind." Caleb turned to face Molly only slightly, and _oh man that's cute._ Molly's scrutiny was forgotten for the time being as he saw Caleb's blush high on his cheeks and spread to his ears. 

"I meant it," he blurted before he could stop himself, his own blush heating up his face, and he hoped Caleb wouldn't be able to tell. "I think you're cute. You know... when you..." Molly's confidence waning, "are excited..." Molly turned back to his own screen to avoid saying anything else embarrassing. 

***

When Caleb arrived home that night, he had too many emotions swirling around his head. 

After searching for spouses and children related to the owners, their list of seven had become a list of twenty-three. On one hand, he was a little frustrated that they hadn't found any real leads yet. On the other, progress was progress, and patience paid more than rushing when research was concerned. And on the third hand - or tail, if you will - he had Molly to think about.

Most recently, there was the compliment. _And was that flirting?_ Caleb didn't like compliments directed at himself. His research, sure. His hunting skills, sure. His magic, on occasion. But not about his looks or personality. He found them hard to believe, harder still to hear them and not think there were ulterior motives behind them. 

Then there was Molly's story. Tragic, heartbreaking, and impactful. It left a mark on Caleb in a way not many things could now days. Molly had suffered through something traumatic and had come out the other side better because of it. Caleb was certainly doing better than the months he’d spent on the street, but he’d never considered himself better than before his stint as a homeless stain on society. Regardless, Molly had a point about one thing: 'bad things sometimes lead to great things.' 

Thirdly, Molly was charming in a way Caleb had never seen anyone else be before. He was too colorful, too bright, too loud. But at the same time, he was beautiful, happy and outgoing - things that Caleb was not. And Caleb wasn't sure why, but when he saw Molly smile, he wanted to see it again and again. When Molly laughed, he wanted to capture the sound to listen to over and over again later. He wanted to hear more about Molly and his large friend who chases storms, and his strange roommate who grows mushrooms in his closet. Caleb wanted to hear Molly talk for hours with that soft, lilting accent. 

And sometimes the man did something to make Caleb's heart stutter or his stomach flip. But _why_? Caleb had never felt quite like this before, and he didn't like not knowing. 

After he fended off questions from Nott and settled into bed, he sent a message to Pike. 

**Pike Trickfoot**

April 3rd, 2019 

23:36 **Caleb:** Hey. Are you awake?

He was not sure if Pike could help, but he really wanted to identify what these symptoms might be.

23:38 **Pike:** Yes. Are you alright?

23:38 **Caleb:** I think so. I just wanted to ask you about something. I've been feeling odd lately. 

23:40 **Pike:** Odd how? Do you need me to call?

23:41 **Caleb:** No. It's nothing serious. I've just... My stomach gets nauseous when I'm around this one person. And I think my heart condition reacts to them as well.

23:43 **Pike:** Caleb. We've talked about this. You don't have a heart condition. That's your paranoia speaking. Now what do you mean a person makes you nauseous?

23:45 **Caleb:** Agree to disagree, Doctor. I'm not sure. When he does certain things, it's like my stomach drops. Or flips. Or squeezes. I've never felt this way. And paired with my heart stuttering, or spontaneously speeding up, I'm quite concerned.

23:45 **Pike:** ..... Caleb.

23:45 **Caleb:** Yes?

23:46 **Pike:** You're fine. Maybe spend more time with this person, see if you can figure this one out on your own? And please *do* let me know how it goes.

  
  


Caleb stared at his phone for a moment, confused; it wasn't like Pike to brush off his concerns. He supposed that if she wasn't worried, he probably didn't need to be either. A little put off, he decided to get some sleep and at least not worry about it until morning. 

***

Around lunchtime on Thursday, Caleb received a call from Molly, telling him he had last minute bookings for both that evening and Friday. They could meet again on Monday, or Caleb could go alone. Caleb, as excited as he had become to do research and fall into a familiar routine, opted to enjoy the time off and spend it with Nott. 

Saturday morning, Caleb decided to do some tidying up in the front of the store. Some dusting, sorting papers, rechecking the alphabetization of the shelves, and checking for gaps he could fill with new books. He was definitely not expecting a frantic banging at the front door. The store was dark, so he figured that if he didn't answer, the person would see the closed sign and leave. But they didn't. They banged again. And again. So finally, Caleb called out, "We're closed!"

"Caleb, it's me!" Molly's voice rang out. "Can I come in for a sec? It's kind of important." Caleb only hesitated a moment before swinging open the door to see Molly, in a much more subdued outfit than usual. His skinny jeans were black, and his boots were more of the hiking variety than the fashion variety. His black t-shirt said 'cute but crazy but cute' down the center, and Caleb couldn't help but smile when Molly stepped past him into the little lobby area leaving a trail of lavender and vanilla scents. 

"Mr. Mollymauk. I was not expecting you today."

"Yeah, me neither." Molly looked over Caleb's ensemble, his plaid pajama pants and another of his many cat shirts, and gave a devilish smirk. "Why, Mr. Caleb. Did I pull you from your bed?"

" _Nein_. I was doing some tidying down here." Caleb was suddenly put off by Molly's gaze, raking down him. "I'm sorry, you said you had something important. Did you find something about my ghost?"

"Oh, right." Molly shook himself lightly. "Do you have anywhere to be for the next, oh.... two hours?"

"No...." Caleb answered cautiously. He noticed Nott watching from behind one of the shelves. 

"Good. Put on some pants and sturdy shoes. I have something I could use some help with." The look on Molly's face was still playful, but there was something else there that Caleb decided to leave for later analysis. 

"Alright, give me five minutes, I'll meet you outside?" Caleb watched Molly drift back towards the door.

"Of course, dear. Take your time." He opened the door to leave and closed it behind him. At the last moment, he reopened it a crack and twisted back to Caleb. "Actually, not too much time. It's kind of time sensitive." He grimaced before shutting the door again. 

"Okay. That's weird." Caleb swung towards the stairs, passing Nott. "That was weird, right?"

"A bit. But _he's_ weird. So. You know." She shrugged. 

***

Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled into a parking lot surrounded by trees and brush. Caleb could hear birds singing and bugs chirping, and the wind was rustling the leaves on the branches. The sounds of the city were still there, but it was background noise now. This was the quietest place Caleb had been since moving to Austin. 

"Where are we?" He asked, taking in his surroundings. There were several cars and vans parked, as well as two police cruisers. Those caught his attention, but he assumed they were just for security. 

"Lady Bird Lake." Molly started walking down one of the trails that lead directly into the woods with his coffee cup in hand. Now that he was listening for it, Caleb could hear water moving as well, just through the trees. 

"The lake. I haven't had a chance to visit yet. Nott would've loved a chance to get out of the shop and sightsee, if I had known we were coming here. What's the occasion?" Caleb was getting a little nervous, walking into the woods with a virtual stranger. He liked Molly, liked spending time with him. But Caleb still hadn't deciphered that weird look in Molly's eyes from before. 

Not to mention all those cars. Where were the people?

"There's something I could use a fresh set of eyes on, and I think you might be the man to help." Caleb continued following Molly deeper into the trees. Some of the foliage dropped away to a view of the lake on one side of the trail. Caleb rubbed over the dagger tattoo on his wrist nervously, preparing to defend himself if the need arose.

"Oh? And do I get to know what this thing is?"

"We're almost there." 

Caleb saw a few people standing in the trail ahead of them. He let his hands relax at his sides; at least he wasn't alone out there anymore. 

As they got closer, Caleb recognized police uniforms and a crime scene unit. Caleb and Molly were too close to pretend not to notice them. 

"Ah, Molly!" A half-orc, dressed in jeans, work boots, and a plain t-shirt strode up to them. On the man's belt sat a badge declaring him as a detective, and on the other hip, a handgun, declaring him armed and dangerous in Caleb's book. "Thanks for coming by. And for the coffee." He reached for the cup Molly had been holding and took a sip before speaking again. "You here to help or hinder today?"

"That depends." Molly laughed. "You gonna pay me this time?"

"I called ya, didn't I?" The half-orc had a very obvious Texan drawl, and his voice was a deep baritone. The combination would have had a soothing effect if not for Caleb’s nerves being pulled at like piano strings. 

"That you did. Fjord, this is my friend Caleb. Caleb, this is Detective Fjord Stone. I consult for the APD on occasion, and this is an ongoing case. I really just need some fresh eyes." Molly had turned to Caleb with a nervous smile. Fjord seemed to be looking over Caleb critically, probably trying to decide if he could trust him at his crime scene. 

Caleb reached to shake hands with Fjord, "Caleb Widogast. It's a pleasure to meet you, Detective."

Fjord shook back. His hand was large, with old scars and calluses as if he was accustomed to using blades. Just like Molly. _Is everyone in this town a swordsman?_ "Fjord, please. Detective is so formal. So uh, you like Molly? Seein' and hearin' shit that ain't there?" Molly bumped Fjord's shoulder playfully. 

"Ah, no. No, I'm honestly not sure why I'm here. Molly, I don't understand." He turned and gave Molly a questioning look. 

Molly shrugged, "I feel like you might be the man to break the case open. Call it a professional hunch." Then he turned to Fjord again, gesturing behind them to the other police. "May we?"

Fjord jolted and swung towards the scene, "hmm. Yeah. This way. Young half-elf male, maybe mid 100's. Name's Evandar Miyoliquar. He was an avid night jogger." Caleb followed cautiously behind. "Same as the others. Ligatures on the ankles and wrists. Drowned. No witnesses. We gotta catch this bastard, Mols, soon."

"I'm trying, Fjord, I am. But the spirits aren't talking. It's like they're specifically avoiding me when it comes to these drownings." 

Caleb stayed a few feet behind the others as they approached a small tarp over something, still half submerged in the water. He knew it was a body, even before Fjord motioned for a young tech with dark hair to move the cover back from the face. Evandar would've been a handsome man, if it weren't for the fact that his lips and fingers were blue and his skin almost as pale as his silver hair. 

The tech spoke, "Hey, Molly. Same as the last three. Bruising on the wrists and ankles, indicating he was tied up when he went into the water, then struggled against the bindings. Haven’t found what was used, though. His eyes have petechiae." Caleb saw the eyes were bloodshot when she forced open the eyelid. "The thoracic cavity’s distended, all heavily suggesting drowning as the cause of death. As does the fact that he was submerged in the lake...." she finished sarcastically.

"Thanks, Ella," Molly said, crouching down next to the corpse as she backed away. "What can you tell me, friend? Who did this?" Molly closed his eyes, holding his hands over the body. 

While everyone else seemed to be intent on watching Molly, Caleb crouched on the other side of the body and took a closer look at the bruising on the wrists. From experience, Caleb could tell the bruise pattern was not from a rope or zip tie. It was several separate strands, wrapped around each limb. Every strand had differing patterns, and there were green stains around some of them as if from some kind of natural plant. 

Caleb stood suddenly and backed away, eyeing the water suspiciously. He knew what did this. _Rusalka_. He looked away from the body, and backed further from the water, where a few onlookers were being held back by the police. He watched Molly murmuring to himself; Fjord stood nearby, giving instructions to a few people. Caleb tuned into the conversation the civilians were having. 

"Another one? We have _got_ to find a new place to ride bikes..."

"No way; they're being drowned, and they're always loners. If we stay together and stay out of the water, we're fine."

"That's the _fourth_ body in like two months, Mark. I don't want to come here anymore...."

"Widogast, right?" Caleb was startled from his eavesdropping by Detective Stone approaching him. 

Caleb nodded "Yes, sir. I'm sorry; I really don't know why Molly brought me here."

Fjord seemed to assess Caleb again, probably trying to figure out why Molly had deemed it necessary to bring Caleb to his crime scene. "Me neither. But if there's anything I've learned over the last year or so, it’s that he's got his reasons. If he says he thinks you can help, he thinks you can help. I'm jus' tryin' to figure out how you're gonna do it."

"Me too." Caleb gave a friendly smile. "So, four bodies, I heard?"

"Hmm. Yeah. Four, over a two month time. All drowned. All with bruising. All loners in the park." 

"Molly called it Lady Bird Lake. Forgive me, I'm new here, but how big could the lake be?"

"From Lemar to Pleasant Valley. It's almost four miles of lake, eight if you count both banks. It's a lotta ground to cover, and that's not includin’ the fact that it's actually a river, extendin’ even farther. But we're pretty darn sure the bodies are all from 'round here. Water tests and such."

"That's... a lot...." Caleb frowned. He could speed things up if he told Molly it was a Rusalka.... Maybe save lives…. But he just didn't want to be dragged into this again. He had come here to get away from these kinds of things.

"Yeah, it is. Victims aren't even connected." _Of course they wouldn't be_ , Caleb thought, _the only thing to connect them was the fact that they saw an attractive woman at night...._ "Drug dealer one week, father of three the next. And Molly says his spirits or whatever ain't talking either." Fjord watched Caleb's face for a moment before continuing. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want all the gory details. I'll just, uh... head over here." Fjord awkwardly shuffled away, back to a group of his techs to talk to them instead, and suddenly Caleb could breathe again. 

He needed to get away from here. This was too much like Arcadia, and he wanted to leave. He wandered closer to Molly, still hovering near the body, and tried his damnedest not to look at the corpse again. 

"Molly..." He whispered, trying to get the psychic's attention. "I would like to leave soon…. _Bitte_. I shouldn't be here…."

Molly glanced up at the sound of Caleb's voice and saw his incredibly blue eyes darting around the crime scene nervously, Caleb's hands fidgeting at his side. _Oh dear._

"Oh, of course _."_ Molly stood and dusted off his hands on his jeans. "I'm not getting anything here, anyway. Come on, just gotta tell the good detective I'm leaving."

Caleb started off the way they had come, moving to stand near the trail to wait for Molly. 

"Hey Fjord," Molly approached the half-orc. "I'm gonna get Caleb home. I'm not getting anything useful out here, anyway. Just fear. And the sensation of drowning.” Molly cleared his throat to lessen the uncomfortable feeling of water in his throat. 

Fjord nodded to Molly, not looking up from his notepad until he had finished scribbling. When he did look up, Molly knew by the look in the man’s eyes that he was in for it. "Molly. Why did you bring a civilian to my crime scene? And don't give me that junk about vibes 'n' shit. You were late. You're never late to a scene. Meaning you went out of your way to pick him up before coming out here."

Fjord was detectiving him. He hated when he did that. Molly stepped closer to his friend before whispering, "I'm working with him on a personal case, and I think he knows more than he's letting on." He glanced to where Caleb was still fidgeting near the trail. "And you know I don't think this is some normal serial killer. If it was, I would've got something by now. Fjord, I think Caleb's one of those hunters I told you about. Like, hard core. Or _was_ , I don't know. I was hoping he could help, but I think I just freaked him out." 

Even Molly heard the upset in his own voice, and Fjord would be a shit detective if he didn't also hear it. So when Fjord spoke again, Molly was only slightly surprised at the direction he chose. 

"Well, that's an interestin' detail... and we'll unpack that later. But there's something else, ain't there?" Fjord’s yellow eyes did that squinting thing he did when he was trying real hard to read someone. "Do you like him?" A smile broke across Fjord's face, his new stubby tusks peeking out of his mouth when Molly’s expression changed. Fjord shoulder checked him, "You like him, Molly."

Molly shushed his friend, but he couldn't hold down his grin. "Fjord. Stop. I don’t even know how you made that jump, but _shhh_." He glanced at Caleb again, who was now watching the water with a pensive look on his face. Molly took a moment to consider the human. Most of the time he had spent with the man had been in the waning sunset in a taxi, or under the harsh fluorescent lights of the library. Standing in the sun, Molly's breath caught again. If dusk made Caleb's hair glow like fire, then the direct sunlight made it shine like gold, his blue eyes reflecting the even bluer sky. 

"I do," Molly sighed. Then he frowned. "And I'm not sure what to do about it. For one, he's mysterious and knows things about _my_ kind of things," he turned back to Fjord to make sure his friend was following the thought. "And second, he's skittish. I don't want to scare him off, so I can't act like I usually do...." He considered for a moment before he added, "And third, what kind of hunter is skittish? They're usually all, I don't know. Macho or whatever." He gave a mock shiver. "Gross."

"I can run his name if you want. See what comes up, if you're worried about your safety," Fjord offered. 

"No, no. I'll just give him time. It's what Yasha said to do, so I'll try that first. Thanks, though. I should get him home. Let me know if you get anything new." Molly started making his way back to Caleb.

"Will do!" he heard Fjord call out in reply. 

***

They had both been silent on the hike back to the parking lot while Molly ordered a cab with his phone. They were halfway back to the store before Caleb spoke. 

"Why did you take me out there, Mollymauk? I do not understand." Caleb's voice was low, not quite angry, but not the soft, friendly bookstore owner Molly was used to. Molly worried he may have pushed too hard too soon.

"I'm sorry, Caleb, I didn't realize it would upset you. I... I had a feeling, and I went with it." Molly had been so sure Caleb could help. He had one of his hunches, the kinds he can't ignore, and his hunches were rarely wrong. 

"I am not... upset, as you say. I am confused, and a little suspicious. Mollymauk, what about me says 'take him to a crime scene and see what happens'?" Molly could see that Caleb's eyes were guarded, hiding something behind them. Maybe Molly wasn't wrong. Caleb did know something. But he now realized he’d probably gone about it the wrong way. 

"You... you seem to know a lot about the things out there. I mean, everyone knows monsters exist. They're echoes of history, yada yada. But not everyone knows the migration patterns of Soul Wights or has as many wards around their place as you. Forgive me, Caleb, for pushing." Molly had to look away from Caleb's gaze, usually pensive and avoiding direct eye contact, and now pointed and defensive. A different man entirely. "I should've asked first, and you do not need to tell me. I'm sorry."

When Caleb spoke again, his voice had softened but there was still a cautious edge to it. "I may know a few things, _about_ a few things. But you are right; I do not have to tell you. They are my secrets to hold, and I intend to hold them. I'm sorry I can't help with your case, Mollymauk."

"No, no. That's fair." They both fell silent for the rest of the drive. 

Molly was frantically trying to figure out if he'd ruined his budding friendship with Caleb. So what if he had secrets? Everyone did. And in some weird way, it made Molly want to get to know the mysterious human even more. It made him want Caleb to trust him enough to tell him why he was afraid of motorcycles, why he knew about monsters, why he had half a dozen wards on his shop, why he had a trapped-spirit best friend. 

Molly snuck a peek out of the corner of his eye at Caleb looking out the window. Molly wanted to know everything there was to know about Caleb Widogast, and then some. He saw the rise and fall of his chest, saw the little bit of chest hair sticking out of the v-neck Caleb was wearing and briefly imagined running his fingers through it.

Molly shifted uncomfortably in his seat and purposefully turned his thoughts to less pleasant things: like drowned half-elves and serial killers. 

When they arrived back at Paperback Wizard, Caleb was surprised that Molly also stepped out of the taxi. He was concerned it might be a ploy by Molly to press him further for information, but he waited while Molly paid the driver. 

"Hey," Molly began. "So, I know today didn't go well, again, sorry. But um... I was wondering," Molly had an odd emotion in his voice that Caleb just couldn't decipher. He had never been good at translating inflection and tone. "I know we're meant to go back to the library on Monday, but what if I took you to dinner instead?" Molly hadn't really been looking at Caleb, but he rushed to add, "or both, we can get dinner before or after?"

Caleb was overwhelmed and bewildered by the request; his mind seeming to stutter as it tried to think, tried to form a coherent thought. When he couldn't form a sentence, he resorted to his list making. First and foremost, Caleb was now cautious about Molly's interest. Caleb did not want people knowing what he knew, knowing what he was capable of. And now he had made the mistake of letting this complete stranger in just a little bit, and he was being dragged to a crime scene because of it. 

Secondly, dinner?! On top of the flirting the week before, it was definitely possible Molly might be interested in him for... things. And Caleb wasn't sure if that was better or worse, but the thought made his stomach do something weird. 

Thirdly, it could just be dinner between friends. Pike had told him to spend more time with Molly, to figure out why he kept reacting the way he did when Molly was around him. Friends get dinner together all the time, right? 

It was after he remembered his conversation with Pike that he realized he had been staring into space without speaking for nearly an entire minute. Molly's face had fallen, and his posture suggested that he was desperately waiting for Caleb to say something, _anything_. 

"Uh, _ja_. Okay. Dinner sounds good." Molly immediately perked up, looking a little surprised by Caleb's answer. 

"Really? I mean, okay. Yes. I can stop by on my lunch, Monday, and we can talk about where we want to go." Molly was practically vibrating on the spot. 

"That sounds _gut_. I'll see you then?" Caleb turned to start unlocking the door as Molly happily bid him a good day and headed down the block to the Fletching and Moondrop where he had left his bike. 

As he walked, Molly contemplated what he knew about Caleb. He knew the bookstore owner was attractive and intelligent. He knew he had a few mental health issues, demonstrated several times by his constant fidgeting, his reluctance to meet eyes, and his dissociating leading to a breakdown. Caleb was also silly in a deadpan way, and Molly ached to hear the man laugh more. 

But Molly also knew Caleb was hiding things. The sigils and wards around his home and shop meant a knowledge deeper than just a dabbler. He wore a silver pentacle around his neck, his best friend was a bound spirit, and Caleb had a knowledge of monsters but was hesitant to share it. 

What Molly hadn't mentioned to anyone yet, out of respect for the man, was how his skin hummed with magic just below the surface. He had only met three kinds of people with magic under their skin. One kind were those blessed by gods. Another was those cursed by the same. And the third were wizards and sorcerers. But those were rare, and Caleb didn't have any of the normal signs of being a wizard or sorcerer: an aura of 'I'm better than you', magic items everywhere, and a penchant for blasting things for no reason. And the man definitely wasn't blessed, other than with a great ass and pretty hair. 

So that left cursed. _The poor sod..._ Molly thought about how skittish Caleb was, how he seemed to be hyper-aware of his surroundings at all times, walking close to walls. The man was running from something. Or someone. 

As Molly fired up his bike, he realized he had a lot to think about if he was to actually pursue the bookish human. A lot to consider.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SPOILER FOR NEXT CHAPTER: The next chapter will have some violence, robbery gone wrong style. Just an early warning. 
> 
> Ella is a tech from the show Lucifer. I went through a binge phase while I was writing this chapter. Whoops. 
> 
> Also, idk if anyone noticed, but Sam, from the Library, is a Sam Winchester easter egg. Again, I couldn't help myself.


	9. Break-ins and Breakthroughs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a break-in at Paperback Wizard, and Caleb interrupts the perpetrators. Molly helps with the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi yall! Thank you all so much for reading and subscribing! It means so much to me. As I've mentioned before this story took me over a year to write, so finally sharing it with people who are enjoying it makes my days! And I LOVE discussing it, so don't hesitate to ask questions or tell me what you're thinking as you read. 
> 
> This chapter is one of my favorites. 
> 
> Thanks to my beta's Mar and Code. 
> 
> Content Warning:  
> robbery gone wrong  
> gun violence  
> Caleb uses fire to hurt someone  
> Blood

On Sunday night, Caleb was woken to the sound of an alarm from the store across the street. His feet were on the floor and moving before his mind was fully awake. He pulled the dagger from under his mattress and directed magic to the tips of his fingers as he pulled his pencil from where he had it tattooed behind his ear, the glyphs down the sides already glowing as he lowered it into place like a loaded gun.

Caleb slowly crept across the floor of the loft, stealthily moving to the stairs. He was about halfway down when the glass on his front door blasted inward, startling him, and he froze at the sound of the glass tickling down. His heart was pounding in his chest, and for a moment that was all he could hear. His hand started to shake, and darkness began to creep into the edges of his vision.

Whoever was in his shop didn't belong there. Underneath the panic, he was angry: this person was hurting his home, and he would not stand for that. He used the anger as a focus. And just as quickly as the panic had arrived, it was gone, replaced by something else. Caleb took a breath, his vision cleared, and his hand steadied. He was trained for this.

Caleb took the last couple of stairs into the shop to find three men dressed in dark clothing and big bulky jackets; their faces covered with ski masks. One was watching out of the front door as a lookout, and the other two were desperately trying to break into the case behind the counter that housed the rare books, including spell books.

Caleb watched from between the shelves for a moment before he stepped out into the center aisle, raising his pencil and yelled: "Stop! Get out of my store!"

All three of the men startled, not expecting someone to be living inside the store. There was a tense moment where the alarms from across the street were blaring, all four people in the shop frozen, staring at each other, and Caleb knew this could go bad very quickly.

The man by the door made a dash for it, sprinting down the street and out of sight. At the same moment, one of the other men moved his hand into his jacket. Caleb caught a glimpse of metal and didn't hesitate before firing three blasts of firebolt into him from the wand.

While Caleb was firing at the second man, the third drew his gun and returned fire. Time seemed to slow, and Caleb heard the crack of the shot, saw the flash of the slug leave the barrel. He tried to throw up a Shield but he moved too slow. Caleb felt a shock of heat slam into his left pectoralis, too close to his heart. The force knocked him backward onto the ground, the dagger falling from his left hand as he fought to cover the wound, but his right hand stubbornly gripping his Wand of Storing, refusing to be unarmed as the man with the gun began stalking down the aisle towards him.

The heat in his chest grew hotter and more insistent, the pain making his vision dim and his whole body ache. He lifted the hand still holding the Wand and leveled it at the man, firing off another firebolt, but it went wide and missed the man as he ducked out of the way. The man lifted his gun and pointed it at Caleb's head. At this distance, anyone with a decent aim could hit him, and Caleb made a few quick calculations, preparing to use his own magic to defend himself.

The beginning phrase of Immolation was on his tongue when he saw Nott appear behind the man as she yelled to get his attention: "Leave my boy alone!" and rushed at him.

The gunman turned suddenly and fired, but she disappeared into a mist before he could pull the trigger. Caleb tried to sit up to better target the man. But before he could finish the spell, the lights started to flicker, some of the smaller lamps’ bulbs shattering with loud pops. Caleb felt the whole building begin to vibrate, the glass in the windows quivering in their mounts and threatening to break. The bookshelves started shaking, and some of the books fell to the floor.

Caleb's spell was forgotten as he glanced around in confusion and panic.  _ Was Nott doing this? _ He could feel himself getting fainter, could hear sirens in the distance joining the alarm from the other business.  _ Why wouldn’t the alarm just shut up? _ His head felt heavy, his vision was fading, and he almost missed it when books and chairs started getting tossed at the gunman.

The gunman panicked and fled, leaving his fallen friend behind, and Caleb was finally alone in the shop, bleeding out on his floor. He was aware of Nott kneeling next to him. He was aware of the hundred or so books floating around before finally dropping to the floor. "Nott...."

"Caleb! Caleb stay awake, okay? I need you to stay awake!" He was aware of the cool feeling of her ethereal hands desperately trying to apply pressure over his own hand on his chest. "Damn this curse! Caleb, I can hear sirens, help is coming, okay…? Please don't leave me here...."

***

Caleb came to with flashing red and blue lights behind his eyelids and a bubbling sensation in his chest. He gasped for breath and then groaned as his chest spasmed with the pain blasting through his body. It slowly faded to a dull ebbing, focused on his chest, as the familiar feel of magic coursed through him.

He had been shot. Again. He groaned again at the thought as the remainder of the magic faded. The last time was when he had been held against the chest of an Excruciator and Percy’d had no choice but to shoot through him; he still had the scar on his thigh.

Slowly, Caleb opened his eyes. He blinked a few times to clear his vision and felt cool hands on him, helping him sit up. The EMT kneeling over him was a blue tiefling. Her hair was in a bob cut, her cheeks rounded, and she was beaming down at him.

"Hi there, mister. You really shouldn't get shot. It's bad for your health." Her voice was childlike and bubbly.

"Uh,  _ ja _ . I will remember that the next time someone points a gun at me...." Caleb's shirt was covered in blood, a small hole perforating it, which he discovered when he reached up to rub at his chest where a steady ache had made its home. EMTs were only authorized to heal to a certain point, conserving their magic in case of large accidents or tragedies. "Thank you..." He added quietly.

"Oh, it's no problem, really. It's my job, after all." She continued to smile as she ran a few tests for his pulse and blood pressure.

"Mr. Widogast." Caleb looked up from the EMT to the face of Detective Stone approaching them. "We gotta stop meetin' at crime scenes like this. I might think ya mighty suspicious after a while." The half-orc had a gentle smile, clearly exuding sympathy for Caleb's state.

"Detective. I  _ assure  _ you, I would prefer to never see a crime scene again in my life." Caleb politely smiled at the tiefling girl as she put away her equipment, already finished with her tests, and helped him stand.

"I know the feeling. Now, I hate to ask right away, but what in tarnation happened? It looks like a tornado hit your place." Fjord took another look around, noting a few bookshelves that had toppled over, spilling their contents into the floor, the broken reading chair, and all the popped bulbs. Caleb noticed with a ping of regret that one of the windows had, in fact, shattered from the commotion. He righted the other reading chair with help from the tiefling and took a seat.

Caleb gave his statement as Fjord wrote his notes, and the EMT, Jester by her name tag, finished her paperwork on the incident.

"Okay, so you fired at the second guy with three firebolts," Fjord gestured to where a man was being lifted into the ambulance outside, "and then the third guy drew a gun and fired once atchya. You fired again, missin’.” He pointed out a scorch mark on the wall. “Then your roommate startled him, making him turn and shoot back out towards the street."

"Correct. And then..." Caleb hesitated.  _ What was he supposed to say? He had no idea what had actually happened. No explanation whatsoever... it was easier to lie. _ "And then I panicked and I used a Ring of Telekinesis and threw things at him until he ran away. After that, I was bleeding out until you all arrived."

"That's quite a tale, Mr. Widogast. We'll see if we can get anything from the guy ya hit, let ya know anything we find out. Do you know what they were after? Is anything actually missin'?"

Caleb spared a glance to the case with the spell books. "No, they were trying to get into that case, but it looks intact." The safe was under the counter, untouched. "It's where I keep the rare books, and spell books. But nothing overly powerful." No, the truly valuable spells he kept to himself, but the detective didn't need to know that.

"Interestin'. Hey, speaking of your roommate, where'd she head off to?"

"Oh, she does not handle strangers well. Please forgive her. If you need more information, she'd be happy to speak with you, but she does not want to be down here with all of this..." The moment Caleb had started giving his statement, Nott had disappeared upstairs, using the stairs, so she wouldn't have to worry about getting bumped into by all the people milling about.

"Alright, well, when we finish up here, we'll send over someone to set up some temporary barriers on your door and window to keep you safe, but it'll only last 24 hours, so you'll need to get 'em boarded up in the mornin'. You gonna be okay here tonight?"

" _Ja_. We will be okay. I doubt they will try again, being down a man and with your people swarming around. We will be fine." Caleb just wanted to be alone. His mind was running a million miles an hour, and he needed quiet.

The blue tiefling, who had been sitting so quietly Caleb had almost forgotten she was there, rose to her feet and grabbed her bag. "Bye, Mr. Widogast. Try not to get shot again." She turned to leave, and as she walked past Fjord, she gave a flirty wiggle of her fingers. "I'll see you later,  _ Detective _ ." She practically skipped back to the ambulance and disappeared into the back.

Fjord had turned a darker shade of green and was sputtering an explanation. "We just work together a lot. There's nothing... I'll just... go. G’night." Fjord turned on his heel abruptly and left through the shattered door.

Caleb gave a sigh of relief as he watched the crime scene techs bustle about, collecting blood and dusting for fingerprints. Occasionally, one would approach and ask a question or two, but they mostly left him alone. Caleb felt a headache set in as, slowly, the techs left one by one. When the barriers were in place on the storefront and the remaining lights were turned off, Nott appeared, standing next to his chair.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't help you, Caleb..." He could hear the tears in her voice. "I was so scared, and I couldn't do anything to help..."

He was worn out and had very little energy left to spend on talking, but he couldn't let Nott do this to herself, so he turned to face her slightly. "It is not your fault,  _ liebling _ . And you helped plenty. You distracted him, and made him leave. If not for that, he would have killed me."

"I didn't make him leave, you did. That was really good thinking with that telekinesis spell. And telling the Detective it was your ring so you didn't have to admit you can use arcane magic. That was very smart Caleb." As she spoke, his face scrunched up in confusion.

"Wait, you did not throw the books and do the lights?" His mind, that had slowly been calming down, kicked back into overdrive.

"No, didn't you?" Nott was confused now too.  _ If she hadn't done it, who had? _

" _ Der verdammt Poltergeist _ !!" Caleb hung his head in his hands. "At least it was helpful this time, if a bit destructive..." Caleb was doing his best not to think about all the damage to the store. "I need to sleep."

"Okay, Caleb. I'll keep a look out for you. I'll wake you up if they come back."

***

The parking was terrible that morning, and so Molly had to park his bike several blocks away from the Fletching and Moondrop. He was okay with that. The late spring air was refreshing, and he enjoyed the walk. Besides, his path would take him past Caleb's store, and he was considering whether popping by before work would be weird when he had told Caleb he'd be by at lunch.

What he was not expecting was shattered glass and crime scene tape attached to temporary barriers on the store's door and window. His mind was slow to process what he was seeing. And when he did, he started banging on what was left of the door.

"Caleb?! Caleb are you in there?" Molly's mind started racing. He knew Caleb was running from something; what if it had caught up to him? "Caleb!!"

Nott appeared in the center of the store with her arms crossed, several paces from the door with a look on her halfling face that could probably kill. "He's sleeping. What do you want?" Her voice was tight, and it echoed with distrust.

"What happened? Is he okay? Can I come in and just see him? Please?" Their voices were muted by the barrier.

Nott stared at him for a long moment, considering. Caleb seemed to like the tiefling. Maybe seeing Molly could make him smile for a moment. Slowly, she drifted closer, not bothering to keep the appearance of walking. "He's having a bad day. You will be gentle with him." She reached out and flipped the lock on the door, allowing Molly to rush in.

He was in the process of bee-lining to the stairs but stopped dead in his tracks when he got a better view of the store. The shattered door was just the beginning: there were books upon books scattered all over the room, with the first few rows of shelves actually tilted over. One of the reading chairs lay broken near the front counter. Beyond that, the glass case with the rare items had a bent lock. There were scorch marks on the carpet... 

And a pool of blood in the main aisle. 

"Nott..." He turned to her, still standing at the open door, his voice a whisper. "What happened?"

"If you close the damned door, I'll tell you," she huffed.

"Oh, sorry. I forgot you can't mo--" he stopped talking at the look she gave him and proceeded to close and relock the door.

"Some assholes thought they could steal from Caleb." She drifted towards the stairs as she talked. "He came down, and one of them shot him in th--"

"Shot him? What?!" Molly's imagination ran wild. Somewhere, logic told him that if he was injured badly enough, he would be at a hospital, not in bed. But his head supplied images of Caleb bleeding out, and he didn't think he would ever get rid of those thoughts, made worse as he stepped over the drying blood in the walkway.

"Yes,  _ shot him _ ." Nott's reply was a bit clipped with irritation. "He got hit in the chest, but it missed everything vital... And the EMT was able to get him patched up without any complications. He's just in a bit of pain. And shock... He's really upset." Her voice lost its heat as they reached the loft.

At Caleb's door, Nott turned into a mist - a sight he had not previously witnessed - and slipped under. Molly could hear them conversing through the wood before Nott's mist came spilling back out, and she gestured to the door when she solidified.

Molly took a breath to calm his racing thoughts and knocked on the door. "Caleb, it's Molly. Can I come in?"

Molly could hear shuffling around before the door handle clicked unlocked and the door cracked open. Molly pushed it further ajar just in time to see Caleb pulling the blankets back over himself, his back to the door.

Molly hesitated near the entrance, not sure how to proceed. "Caleb? Can I sit with you?"

Caleb made a grunt that kind of sounded like a yes, so Molly stepped closer and sat on the bed. He heard the TV turn on, volume low in the living room, and realized that Nott was giving them some time to themselves.

"I was walking to work and saw the front. Nott told me what happened. How are you feeling?" Molly’d had plenty of injuries needing healing, and he knew first hand that the minimal magic EMTs could offer usually left plenty of healing to be done naturally.

Caleb shuffled around under the blanket so he was facing Molly, making a pained face and grunting as he moved. He had dark circles around his eyes. And from the expression he made when he turned over, Molly knew Caleb was not going to be feeling well for a while.

"I feel like I got shot," Caleb's voice was tinged with his dry humor, but it was quiet, and Molly could tell the man hadn't been sleeping.

"Understandable," Molly gave him a small smile. "I hear that's what getting shot feels like."

They're both quiet for a few moments before Caleb spoke again. "I'm sorry, Molly. I don't think I can make it to dinner tonight." Caleb grunted again as a spike of pain flared in his chest. "I need to get the store cleaned and the glass boarded up so I can reopen. I can't afford to stay closed for very long…."

"Hush, darling. Don't even worry about it. We can reschedule." Molly reached up to put his hand on Caleb's shoulder but thought better of it. "Uh, may I?"

Caleb looked between the hand and Molly's face a few times before giving a small nod. Molly slowly lowered his hand to Caleb's arm and began rubbing up and down comfortingly.

"I don't have anything crazy important to do today. If you'd like, I can stay and help you get started cleaning." Molly shifted a little closer so he could move his hand to Caleb's back, rubbing little circles.

"I can't ask you to do that. You were on your way to work. And you saw the store - it's a mess. It'll take hours of work t--"

"Yes. Work you shouldn't be doing. You need to rest. I know I can't make you stay in bed all day; I’ve got a feeling you're too stubborn for that."

"He is!" Nott called from the living room, and Caleb and Molly both smiled; of course she was listening in.

" _ But _ ," Molly continued. "I can help make sure you don't hurt yourself worse. I might even have someone that can help with the shelves later on."

Caleb seemed to consider the offer for a long moment. "I do need to make a few calls... And I don't know how much heavy lifting I could do...." Caleb looked at Molly's face, searching for something. "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Let me help you?"

"Alright. Thank you, Molly."

"My pleasure, Caleb. Now, let me make a few calls of my own, and I'll be back with a cup of tea for you, okay?"

Caleb nodded as Molly reluctantly withdrew his hand and left the room with the door cracked.

In the kitchen, Molly dug out his phone and called the Fletching and Moondrop while he searched the kitchen for things to make tea. It was still a few minutes before they’d open, but Yasha would be there, and she would recognize his number.

She answered on the third ring as he was setting a kettle to boil, "Molly, what's wrong?"

"Gee, Yash. If I didn't know better, I'd think  _ you  _ were the psychic."

"Do you need me to come get you? Are you okay?"

"No, I'm fine, Stormcloud. You remember Caleb from the book store?"

"Molly... you better not be calling into work for a booty call."

" _ Ha ha _ ," he deadpanned as he opened a few cupboards to find the tea. "No. His store was broken into last night, and he was hurt pretty bad. He says he's okay, but I think I should stay and help him. If you could tell Gustav and have him reschedule my appointments?"

"Oh. Okay. Of course. Is he alright?"

"Honestly?" Molly’s voice dropped so Caleb couldn't over hear. "I'm not so sure. He looks like hell. I just... I don't want to leave him here. His roommate is here too, but there's so much clean-up to do. The place is wrecked. I was actually wondering if you could maybe head over on your lunch and help me get the shelves standing. They've been knocked over."

"Sure. Of course. I'll be over around one."

"Thanks, Yash. You're the best."

He disconnected the line, grabbed the now boiling water, and turned around to pour it into the one mug he’d tracked down to find Nott standing behind him. He let out a strangled scream and nearly dropped the kettle, putting his free hand over his heart to calm it. " _ A déithe, déan trócaire _ ... Nott..."

"Is everything okay?" Caleb called from his room.

"Yes, yes, I just scalded myself on the kettle.” Molly lied, “don't get up." Molly slipped around Nott to finish pouring the water. "Can I help you?"

Nott glided over to the opposite side of the island where he was making the tea so she could keep eye contact. "What are your intentions with Caleb?" Nott narrowed her eyes at him.

"I-- My intentions?" Molly was utterly caught off guard, not sure what the little halfling ghost wanted to hear.

"Yes. Intentions. Are you using him? Are you trying to hurt him?" She squinted up at him as if she could see the answers on his forehead. "Are you trying to sleep with him?"

"I hadn't realized you were his mother...." Molly added a drop of honey to the lemon ginger tea he had found and stirred it in. "Just to remind you, he hired me."

"Yes, but do you call into work, cancel all your appointments, and make tea for all of your clients?"

Molly had finished with Caleb's drink, so he leaned on the counter, waiting for it to cool a bit before taking it to Caleb. "As a matter of fact, no. I don't. I.... find... him attractive, yes. But I also know he's not.... normal."

Nott's eyes narrowed even further, and she opened her mouth to scold him, but he continued quickly.

"By not normal, I mean there's something different about him than the usual people I chase. He's... nice. And shy. And he hasn't already asked to see me naked. Which I usually count on, so this is very  _ not  _ normal for me. But..." He hesitated, "I'm curious about his past. He's running from something, isn't he?"

Nott didn't answer, but the expression on her face softened.

"I thought as much. I live a dangerous life, and I feel like he has, too. It just makes me wonder what a relationship between us would add up to. But that's his decision, don't you think?" Molly didn't wait for her answer. He took the mug of tea and returned to Caleb's room.

***

The day was dragging slowly. Caleb had been able to get out of bed eventually and - with minimal help - get some day clothes on. Something Caleb was deeply embarrassed by, and Molly was gracious enough to look away as he helped Caleb into a button down shirt. Caleb and Molly had spent most of the time in the store, sweeping glass and stacking books. Molly tried not to listen in when Caleb went to the back room and called someone named Gil, followed by the insurance company.

Molly watched Caleb as he moved about the store. His movements were stiff and jerky, the man clearly dealing with pain and obviously trying to hide it.

"Caleb, darling I've got some low dose codeine in my bag. I can get you some if you need it."

Caleb's reaction was immediate. Where he had been gingerly kneeling to make a stack of books, he suddenly swung his head around to Molly, his eyes wide and his hands in front of him as if to ward off a blow. " _ Nein _ . No no. Please, no drugs. No pills."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I didn't realize that was a trigger." Molly watched as Caleb slowly lowered his hands, his expression still like a deer in headlights. "I won't mention it again, okay?"

Caleb lowered his gaze to his hands in his lap, clearly embarrassed by his own reaction, one of them rubbing nervously at his thigh. " _ Ja _ , okay. Sorry... I just...." Caleb closed his eyes and opened his mouth a few times like he was trying to convince himself to say something.

"It's alright, love. You don't have to tell me." Molly was desperately curious as to what could cause such a violent reaction to a mild painkiller, and he had some suspicions, but he wasn't going to push.

Caleb nodded. "Thank you." Molly could tell that the human was trying to keep his hands busy when he went back to stacking the books.

They labored in silence for a while longer before Molly noticed Caleb's movements had been slowing. He had been rubbing at his chest more and more through their work. Finally, Caleb hauled himself off the floor, sat heavily on his stool behind the counter with a huff, and lowered his head to his arms on the counter.

"So much damage, Molly. We are not making much progress with me moving so slowly..." Molly could see him breathing slightly heavier from exertion.

Molly stood and moved towards Caleb, gently putting his hand on the human’s shoulder. And when Caleb didn't pull away, Molly began rubbing gentle circles again. "It's alright. We're struggling to move around the shelves right now. I can't lift them alone, and I refuse to let you help. Once Yasha gets here and they're out of the way, things will go faster. If you need a break, just say so, okay? No shame in that; you were shot not even 24 hours ago. You have an excuse."

" _ Ja _ . Okay. You are probably right." Caleb focused on taking a few deep breaths to calm his frustration. Molly was still rubbing circles into his back, and it was helping to keep him grounded. Caleb wasn't sure what to think about the strange man spending so much time with him, helping him. He liked it a lot, though. It made his chest tighten, but in a good way, and he wanted to explore that feeling more. Maybe when his chest wasn't also throbbing with pain every time his heart beat or he breathed.

"S--ry f-- th- m-ss." A soft voice whispered.

"I'm sorry, love. What’d you say?" Molly leaned down closer to Caleb as if to hear him better.

Caleb lifted his head and gave Molly a quizzical look, "I didn't say that."

"W--t? Y-- ---rd me?" The voice came again, a little stronger. It sounded like a phone call when one participant went through a tunnel, sounds that were obviously part of larger words broken up by an almost static.

This time Caleb and Molly both looked around, Caleb reaching behind his ear for his wand on instinct, and Molly reached to a crystal hanging from his neck.

"Y-u h--rd me!" The voice came again, even stronger. Caleb could tell now that it was a woman.

"I take it this is new? It -  _ she  _ hadn't been speaking before?" Molly asked him, still looking around the shop.

"No, no voices until now.... Is she getting stronger?" Caleb was very concerned. The night before, the poltergeist had been helpful. But if she decided to turn that violence towards him or his customers... it could result in a very bad day.

The lamp Caleb kept on the back counter started getting brighter and brighter until 'POP' the bulb exploded, and with it a voice, clear as day, "I'm sorry for the mess!"

Caleb stared blankly at the lamp for a long moment, processing what just happened. "That was the last reading lamp in the entire store...." His voice was deadpan.

Molly couldn't help it; he burst into laughter. "You just witnessed level five poltergeist activity, and that's all you have to say?" Molly forced out incredulously before dissolving into a giggle fit.

Caleb watched Molly for a moment, but he felt a smile slowly spread across his face, and he started to laugh with Molly, only slightly manic. Nott appeared in the lobby, watching them both with concern before she focused back on Molly. "What have you done to Caleb?!"

"Nothing,  _ spatz _ ," Caleb reassured her. "I just find this situation utterly ridiculous." Between the pain in his chest and his bubbling laughter, his accent was much thicker, and Molly burst into a new round of snickering at how Caleb had pronounced 'utterly'.

It was at this moment there was a gentle tapping on the door. Caleb turned, trying to reign himself in to tell the customer they were closed. The woman at the door was nearly 6ft tall, her arms with enough toned muscle she could probably squish his head in her elbows if she tried. Her hair  was midnight black with a fade into pale white at the tips. She had it twisted carefully into neat dreads, laced with charms and beads, and pulled back away from her face into a ponytail at the back of her head.

"Oh," finally sobering enough to make his way to the door, and rubbing at his sore chest and shoulder, he opened it to let her in, still smiling. "You must be Yasha. It's nice to meet you."

"Hi. Molly said you needed help with heavy things." Her voice was soft and low, accented with something he didn't recognize.

"Oh,  _ ja _ . Over here. These four shelves just need to be righted and then straightened up a bit."

"Yasha, you're such a dear." Molly danced over and lifted onto his toes to kiss her cheek.

"You are very kind to help me. Allow me to buy you both lunch?" Caleb wasn't accustomed to so many people outside his family offering to help him. It was..... unexpectedly nice, but he would not take charity.

"You do not have to do that. I have leftovers from Caduceus at the shop." Yasha replied quietly as she and Molly began moving the shelves out of the way. Caleb got the distinct suspicion that Yasha was doing all the lifting, while Molly was just there to look pretty.  _ Where did that thought come from? _

Caleb shook it from his head. "Surely it will still be good until dinner? I insist. There is a sub shop around the corner; I can call in an order."

"Okay. I guess. Thank you, Caleb." Yasha had already finished lifting the shelves and was now trying to get them lined up with the ones still in place.

"My pleasure. Anything you don't eat?" He asked, as he dug his phone back out of his pocket.

"We're not picky." Molly answered as he started placing a stack of books on one of the newly righted shelves.

Caleb went back to the storage room and ordered a few sandwiches and sodas from the place down the street before rejoining the others back in the lobby.

Yasha was now seated on the sofa, Molly on the floor in front of her, and she was re-braiding his hair. Caleb chose to sit on one of the still-intact reading chairs nearby.

"So," Molly started, "after hearing her talk, I'm gonna guess it wasn't  _ you  _ that decided to throw half the store at the gunman."

"Uh,  _ nein _ . I did not. I told Detective Stone that I used a Ring of Telekinesis because I did not know what else to tell him."

"Oh he wouldn't've blinked an eye if you told him a ghost did it.  _ Wellllll _ ," Molly tilted his head in thought, Yasha gently tilted it back into place to continue her braid. "He probably would've  _ blinked  _ at it. But he would've believed you. That poor man has seen enough weird shite to write his own version of a Goosebumps novel. But he probably appreciates the lie for his report."

"Does everyone know that you are a psychic?" Caleb couldn't imagine everyone knowing he was a wizard. That was too personal. Too dangerous.

"I'm listed in the phone book, dear. Anyone who cares to look knows." Molly smiled gently, seeming to understand Caleb's concern. "Austin is a pretty inclusive place. Disabilities, psychics, LGBTQ+, sorcerers, punk, foreigners. It's all accepted here. We may be in the south, but it's not like they say it is. Sure there's the occasional jerk, but for every jerk that pushes you on the street for 'dressing like a sissy', there's three more angels to push them back and tell them to 'get lost'. I mean, the city's motto is 'Keep Austin Weird.'"

"It is? I did not know that…. What an odd thing to advertise about your city…. But... that is refreshing to know." Caleb thought about how terrible the people in Arcadia could be to anyone deemed an outsider.

There were a few moments of not-awkward silence between the three of them. Yasha hummed as she played with Molly's hair, and he climbed onto the sofa next to her when she had finished. Caleb silently made a list of the things they still needed to get fixed or cleaned. He had to admit, Molly was right. Now that the shelves were upright, the place looked ten times closer to being finished than before; a majority of the remaining mess being the books that could now go on the upright shelves. 

He was pulled from his thoughts when the delivery runner knocked on the door with their food. Nott joined them, pushing pages on a new book Caleb had picked out for her to read on the floor while they ate. Eventually, Molly spoke between bites.

"So, Caleb. I have an idea about your poltergeist. I think she was able to do all that stuff last night because of the high tension and emotions from the robbery. The bad guys fear and desire to flee, your fear and determination, Nott's terror--"

"Hey!" Nott interrupted indignantly. "He was bleeding to death, I was justified in my 'terror'."

"Yes you were. I would've been much the same." Molly locked eyes with Caleb before continuing. "The point is, I think she just needs energy to better manifest. She talked today when you were getting frustrated, so...."

"Molly, no." Yasha stopped eating to look at him pleadingly. "You know what happened the last time."

"Yes, I very much remember that asshole parading around in my body for three days doing... ungodly things before you held me down and exorcised him. I remember.  _ Vividly _ ." Molly shivered as if remembering a terrible moment. And from what he was saying, he probably was.

"I'm sorry, what are we talking about?" Caleb was fairly certain he was following but wanted to make sure he understood the situation.

"He wants to do a seance. Let the poltergeist use him as a... a  _ battery _ . The last time he did this, it ended badly, so we stopped offering the service. Molly," she turned back to him. "Is it worth the risk?"

Molly was quiet for a lingering moment, looking at Yasha and weighing the risks. Then he glanced at Caleb. "Yes. I think it is. This ghostie has the potential for harm, as you can see." He motioned around the shop. "We need to try to get her to move on. To do that, I need more information. And as much as I love our evenings at the library," he smiled at Caleb, "our research isn't going very well. So." He turned back to Yasha, "will you help me?"

Yasha didn't answer at first. The pair seemingly communicated with just their eyes as they stared at each other. Caleb and Nott just waited, feeling like outsiders.

After a moment of deliberation, she finally spoke. "Of course I will help. How else will I know you are doing this as safely as possible?"

"That's my Daisypuff." Molly's serious expression broke into a grin. "Mr. Caleb.” Molly put on his most professional voice. “If you are amenable, I believe the next course of action for your little issue would be a seance. I can gather a few trusted friends for a sitting, and we can choose a date and time appropriate for you. I would need a large, open floor space. Everything else I can provide. How's that sound?"

_ Oh boy. _ Caleb had of course heard of seances. But he mostly dealt with the physical kinds of monsters, not the metaphysical kind. And most of what he did know included many of Arthur Conan Doyle's hoax investigations. But, after the time Caleb had spent with Molly, he believed in his abilities - or, at the very least, the man's knowledge. But a seance? That might be a little hard to believe.

"I don't know, Mollymauk. That is a little, eh... cooky? Even for us. Isn't it? What do you predict will come of this... seance?"

"Well I'm not sure. Anything could happen, or nothing could. Hopefully we can get her to at least talk again and she can give us a name. That would help immensely. What do you think?"

Caleb considered quietly for a few moments. He could call Gilmore and ask his opinion. But after having to calm Gilmore down during their call that morning when Caleb had told him about the shooting, Caleb was reluctant to call again so soon. He wanted to prove he could still do this, that he wasn't as thrown as he felt. He wanted to prove his independence.

" _ Ja _ . Okay. Let's do it. What do I have to lose?" Caleb smiled nervously at Molly and Yasha.

"Excellent." Molly grinned back devilishly.

***

Yasha left to go back to work shortly after that, and Molly and Caleb put some boards over the broken windows. The insurance company had called to tell him they could have someone out the following day to survey the damage and get someone to install new glass.

They also finished stacking the books. Most of them were terribly out of order, but at least they weren't strewn across the floor anymore. Getting them in alphabetical order would be the easy part and, if Caleb was being honest, a little fun.

The sun was starting to get low, approaching his normal closing time around 6 pm when Molly surprised him again.

"So, I know we can't go to dinner, Caleb; after all this work, you should be resting. But..." Molly was adding books to a shelf from a stack in his hands, and there was something about his voice that was suggestive. "I was thinking. We don't have to go out for our date. We could, you know. Watch a movie upstairs.... Or something."

_ Date. Date? Was this... supposed to be... a date? _ Caleb had stopped moving, his own stack of books forgotten, staring dumbfounded at Molly where the tiefling still hadn't looked at Caleb.

"I mean, if you just want some alone time, I understand. I can be a bit much, and you've been very kind dealing with me for this long..." Molly was speaking quickly, as if he was trying to move on from the situation as quickly as possible.

All at once, a series of feelings and moments from the last week came crashing back into the forefront of Caleb’s memory. His heart rate speeding up without any warning, his insistent staring at the tiefling, noticing the tiniest of details like his adorable freckles and how his nails are always meticulously done, how the sound of Molly's laugh could make his stomach drop, how a smile from the tiefling could light up his whole day. The flirting, the compliments. The flush that was spreading from his cheeks to his ears as he finally put all the pieces together.

_ Oh no. No no no. I have a crush on Mollymauk Tealeaf. _

While Caleb was having an existential crisis of the heart, Molly was starting to feel disappointed. He tried to be understanding; they  _ had  _ just spent the whole day working together. But Molly had been hoping for some relaxing movie time or a conversation with a glass of wine. But if Caleb needed his space, he would give it to him.

" _ Ja _ . Okay. Sounds  _ gut _ ." Caleb's voice had come out stilted, and Molly wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. It certainly hadn't sounded like a good thing. But... Caleb had said yes. Twice now, to a date with Molly. So that was good. Right? Molly's mind started racing. Does Caleb like him back? Is Caleb even aware of Molly's feelings? Is Caleb open to a  _ thing _ , relationship or not? 

"Okay, cool. Um...."  _ Say something Molly _ ..... "Awesome."  _ Oh jeez.... that was smooth... _

"I don't have many movies, but I'm sure we can find something." Caleb had started moving again, putting books on the shelves, much neater than Molly had been, simply from a sense of familiarity. "And I have some popcorn. If you would like."

Molly's excitement was still there, but his anxiety was ramping up. He tried to keep his breathing under control so Caleb wouldn't notice. A date. With Caleb. In the dark, in his house.  _ I can handle this.  _

Molly wasn't entirely sure he  _ could  _ handle this. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Molly speaks a little Irish, mostly cusses and exclamations he picked up when he was learning to be a person again from Gustav.   
> a déithe, déan trócaire = Gods have mercy


	10. You do Something to Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb and Molly share popcorn over a corny rom-com, then spend hours quoting American classics to each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did someone order soft? Cause I'm delivering the soft this week. lol Two dudes sitting on a couch 3ft apart because they're definitely gay. lol
> 
> See endnotes for a fun fact about this chapter. 
> 
> Also, there were over 250 hits since the last update. That is Phenomenal! Thank you so much!
> 
> Content warning:  
> disaster gays  
> so much sweet you should see a dentist  
> (Seriously I don't think there's anything to worry about here. If you see something you think that needs a warning, please let me know. )

Together, it took them all day to get the store up to standard. The one window and the door were still boarded up, awaiting insurance the next day; there were still scorch marks and blood on the carpet; most of the lights were still blown out; and the books, though at least on shelves, were not necessarily in the correct order. But Molly, seeing how sore Caleb was, and knowing how hard the man would push himself if left to his own devices, decided enough was enough. 

"Caleb, I'm getting kind of tired, maybe we can call it a night and head upstairs for that movie?" Molly was not, in fact getting tired. He was keyed up and practically bouncing in place with nervous energy. But Caleb needed an out, so Molly would give him one. 

"Oh, uh, _ja_. Of course Mollymauk. You have done enough today. More than I could've asked of you." Caleb had been trying to get some of the smaller sections of books in alphabetical order, but he stopped at Molly's request. "Let's go up and rest." Caleb smiled at him, and Molly couldn't help but smile back. 

"That sounds lovely." _Oh man. Is this happening?_ "You need to get off your feet and relax, dear. You'll heal faster if you're not working so hard." 

Caleb double checked that the door was locked before he led the way up the stairs. Caleb had started feeling much more relaxed once the store was not so cluttered and he could see the actual damage for what it was. For the second half of the day, he had been able to focus on the fact that he was alive, that Nott was okay, and that he had a friend to help him. _Friend_ . He liked the sound of that. A friend that he had a _crush_ on. 

"I have had worse injuries, but thank you for your care. It's... been awhile since anyone other than my family has cared for me." He smiled shyly at Molly, his cheeks heating up. 

"Worse? You say such curious things." More than ever, Molly wanted to know what this poor man had lived through that being shot in an attempted robbery was brushed off so easily. 

"So I've been told." Caleb chuckled, pulling a small box from under the TV to hand to Molly. "They are mostly documentaries on wild cats and arcane history, but I think there may be a few silly things in there. I will make the popcorn." 

Molly turned on the TV as he started sorting through the movies in the box. Caleb was true to his word: a couple of History Channel DVDs about arcane history and several Planet Earth DVDs featuring various large cats made up the majority of his collection. Along with them were a few old horror movies and some historical romances. 

The TV's sound finally kicked on while Molly was looking through the romance movies.

_"--rth body in two months. Police have been working tirelessly to find out who or what may be causing the drownings. Police issued a warning to stay inside after dark, and to travel in groups when you cannot stay home. If you see something, say something._

_In other news the election for Governor is fast approa---"_

Molly turned the volume down and continued to search through the movies. 

"Any luck on that case?" Caleb asked as the popcorn popped in the microwave.

"Hmm. Radio silence, unfortunately. None of the victims have chosen to speak with me, and neither have any witness-ghosts." Molly held up a DVD so Caleb could see it from the kitchen, " _Midnight in Paris_?"

"Oh sure. I love that movie. The historical accuracy of the personalities of the artists as portra--"

"Ah ah ah! Spoilers darling!" Molly turned to the kitchen smiling. "I haven't seen it yet."

"Oh." Caleb dropped his gaze bashfully to the floor from where he had been leaning against the counter in the kitchen. "Sorry."

Molly laughed lightly. "It's alright. But I'm glad you like it. I'd like to get to know the things you like." 

***

Several minutes later, Molly was already pulled into the slow building plot of the movie.

"I hate guys like Paul. ' _He's an expert in Italian wine, oh he's an expert in Italian history, Paul is so perfect_ .' The Pauls of the world are the absolute _worst_." 

Caleb laughed at Molly's comments and took another handful of popcorn from the bowl between them. 

***

"Hmm." Caleb made a noise around his popcorn, quickly chewing it to empty his mouth. "Zelda actually struggled with schizophrenia without knowing until 1930 when she was committed and finally diagnosed. Which explains a lot of her behavior during her life and also the excessive----" Caleb stopped talking and turned to see Molly staring at him, a soft smile on his face. "Sorry, you don't want the boring details."

"I want to hear what you think is interesting." Molly took in the lights of the TV flashing across Caleb's face as his disappointed expression relaxed. 

"Maybe after the movie, _ja_?"

"Alright." They both turned back to watch as Gil and Adriana calmed Zelda down.

***

Molly was watching the pretty scenery on screen when he noticed Caleb humming to the song playing. 

_“You do that voodoo that you do so well_

_For you do something to me_

_That nobody else could do.”_

"It’s a beautiful song. You like old music?" Molly wanted to make note of all the little things that brought Caleb joy. Molly wanted to learn how to make the man smile more. 

"My father used to sing this song after dinner and pull my mother from the sink to dance." Caleb smiled sadly. "She would protest, 'my hands are covered in soap,' but she would never argue for long. Suds forgotten, they would embrace. I would sit at the table to finish my homework and watch them glide around the kitchen."

"They sound lovely."

"They were...." Caleb's smile was pained, "sorry. Let's continue the movie."

***

There was a moment, a split second nearing the end of the movie, where Caleb reached for the popcorn, still sitting between them on the couch. He was about to grab a handful, when he felt something warm on his hand. He looked down to see that Molly had also been reaching for popcorn at the same time. Their hands were touching gently, and Caleb's brain shut off. 

They both raised their eyes to meet each other's gaze. Caleb, still trying to reboot, almost missed it when Molly spoke, pulling his hand back slowly. 

"Would you like to walk in the rain sometime, Mr. Caleb?"

"Rain?" Caleb shook his head gently, finally starting to think again. "Oh, yes. Actually. I've walked in the rain before. Not... not with someone else, though...."

Molly's gentle smile made Caleb's heart flutter in a now familiar way. "We should go to Zilker park next time it rains."

" _Ja. Ja,_ okay." They both turned back to try to focus on the end of the movie. 

***

"Wow. That movie had so much history that probably flew right over my head." The TV volume was lowered as the credits music played softly in the background. Molly lulled his head towards Caleb, "and I bet you understood _every_ moment of it, didn't you?"

"Mostly. I have not been to Paris myself, but Paris was a very magic-heavy city, so I had to do some research including France in school. For example, did you know Charles the VII was one of the earliest known Wizards? It was a greatly protected state secret. But there are records suggesting he was a powerful transmuter." Caleb turned his head towards Molly so their gazes met. "The writers in the movie on the other hand, I know for a fact are scary accurate. The Fitzgeralds and Hemingway had a, hmm, let's call it a feud - even though it wasn't - all the way until F. Scott died in 1940."

Molly couldn’t help but smile at the man. The lights were off, the room lit only by the credits rolling on the TV, and the music playing softly was setting some kind of mood that Molly was trying not to think about very hard. They were whispering, even though Nott was the only other person in the building. The atmosphere seemed to demand their hushed tones. 

"You're brilliant. Recalling all that information from nowhere. How do you do it?"

"I have a keen mind for details. I remember most everything I have read or seen." Molly stared at him in disbelief, and Caleb laughed. "I do. But it also helps that F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of my favorite authors."

"You remember everything? Like photographic memory?" Molly was a little taken aback. 

"Most things. Not everything."

"I don't believe you." Molly teased. "Prove it."

Caleb laughed again. "And how do you suppose I do that?" They were still whispering in hushed tones, neither of them quite ready to dispel the soft ambience. 

Molly glanced around the loft, spotting Caleb's office space. He stood and sauntered over to the first shelf. "You've read all of these?"

" _Ja_ , of course. This is my personal collection. What do you have in mind?" Caleb rose and followed Molly into the office, much smaller with two grown men in the space. 

Molly browsed the titles, seeing a great number on magick and arcane theory, some history, a few on magical creatures - _that,_ he filed away for later investigation - and finally, Molly found a section near the bottom, almost as if Caleb had tried to hide them from the eyes of guests. 

"Mr. Caleb." Molly looked over his shoulder to see the human blushing furiously as he saw where Molly was reaching. "You have a _smut_ collection." Molly gently pulled a book off the shelf. 

"Uh, _ja_. Kind of. They are historical. Like the movie. Some take place in eras or cities long gone... I..."

"Hush, you." Molly smiled, opening the book to the middle page. " _'Asher knew one thing, and one thing only: she needed G. She needed his hands, his heart, she needed all of him. It didn't matter that he had taken her from her home.'_ Oh my.... Is this... tabaxi-tiefling porn?" Molly looked up to Caleb with a devilish grin. Caleb was as red as the rubies in Molly’s jewelry. 

"Technically, it is tabaxi-God porn. G is actually a nickname that the Chaos God Doruman took on while he was... traveling.. with... Umm, Molly?" Caleb trailed off shyly as his voice slowly left him in embarrassment. 

"Yes, dear?"

"Can you pick something else?"

As fun as it had been, Caleb did look extremely uncomfortable. So Molly put _Chaotic Love_ back on the shelf and instead grabbed a handful of classics and sat in the middle of the floor, patting the spot next to him. 

"1984. That's a weird title for a book... lets see..... Oh here we go, ' _the people under the sky were also very much the same—everywhere, all over the world, hundreds or thousands of millions of people just like this,'"_ Molly trailed off looking over to Caleb.

"' _People ignorant of one another’s existence, held apart by walls of hatred and lies, and yet almost exactly the same—people who had never learned to think but who were storing up in their hearts and bellies and muscles the power that would one day overturn the world_.' You'll have to try harder." Caleb smiled at Molly. 

_Challenge accepted_ , Molly thought as he grinned back. Picking up another book. "' _When, on the still cold nights, he pointed his nose at a star and howled long and wolf-like, it was his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him....'”_

Caleb’s eyes were closed now as he reclined back on his good arm, the injured one in his lap. _"'And his cadences were their cadences, the cadences which voiced their woe and what to them was the meaning of the stillness, and the cold, and dark.'_ I love that part."

Molly grabbed another book without checking the title and started reading, “' _He smiled understandingly - much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it--_ " Caleb began saying the lines along with Molly before Molly had even stopped speaking. 

"'-- _that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced--or seemed to face--the whole eternal world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself, and assured you that it had precisely the impression of you that, at your best, you hoped to convey.'"_ Caleb had opened his eyes again and was grinning when he finished _. "_ Did you check who wrote that one before you picked it?"

Molly turned the book over to see the cover, " _The Great Gatsby_ by F. Scott Fit-- oh dang." Caleb and Molly both started laughing. 

And so it went on like that late into the night, Molly pulling book after book from the shelves and Caleb reciting from memory nearly every time. More times than not, Molly chose silly lines that left them both giggling on the floor. Sometimes Caleb would point to a book and begin reciting a poem without Molly initiating the excerpt.

So when Molly finally realized it was almost midnight, he reluctantly extricated himself from the piles of books spread around them. Caleb walked him down to the door to let him out. 

"So. That was fun." Molly started. 

" _Ja_. It was." They both stood on opposite sides of the door, Caleb with his hands hidden in his pockets because he didn't know what else to do with them. 

Molly's eyes darted around the lobby, not sure where to look. "Okay, goodnight. Feel better, okay?" He flashed a smile that Caleb returned before opening the door. 

"Of course. Be safe getting home."

"Goodnight. I already said that...." Molly hesitated at the door and Caleb laughed. 

_"Gute nacht."_

***

When Molly finally made it home, he quietly snuck into the apartment, trying his best not to intrude on either of his sleeping roommates. Caduceus' door was cracked, as it always was, letting out a single ray of light from the firbolg's soft fairy lights. Molly's door was open, and so he crept in, finding Yasha sleeping peacefully in his bed. 

He quickly stripped down to his boxers, throwing the clothes from the day in who-cares-what-direction?-not-him and sat on the edge of the bed to plug in his phone. If Molly was being honest with himself, he was still too excited to go to sleep. But if he didn't at least try, Yasha would be disappointed, so he laid back against the pillow and thought about Caleb. 

Molly had been smiling from ear to ear the entire way home. He closed his eyes and just savored his memories of sneaking peeks when Caleb was entranced by the movie, the man’s eyes lighting up. He thought about Caleb's chuckle at jokes that flew over his own head but made him smile because Caleb's smile was contagious. He thought about the way Caleb had closed his eyes to recite a poem about sea birds because it reminded him of Molly's name. He thought about how damn sexy Caleb's brain was. 

Molly _really_ liked Caleb. And he decided he would be as patient as he had ever been to wait for Caleb to decide if he liked him back. 

***

Yasha had stayed up the entire time waiting for Molly to come home. It wasn't unlike him to stay out so late and come home more drunk than he should be on work nights. This time was different. Molly was with Caleb, and Molly hadn’t stopped _talking_ about Caleb. 

_"His hair glows, Yash. I swear!"_ Yasha smiled to herself where she stood at the window, waiting to see Molly pull in. 

She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally heard and saw his bike pull into the complex’s parking lot. She stepped away from the window, went to the room she shared with Molly when she was in town, and laid on her side of the bed. She evened out her breath and listened. 

Soon, the front door clicked open and closed as quietly as Molly could manage. She heard Molly hanging his coat and bag by the door. As her friend finally entered their room, Yasha closed her eyes. She did her best not to give herself away by laughing when she heard him struggling out of his too-tight jeans, almost falling over in the process. 

Yasha allowed herself to peek when she felt him sit on the bed and the light of his phone came on. Molly was smiling. That's all she needed to know. She closed her eyes again and let herself drift to sleep as Molly finally lay next to her. 

Molly was happy. So she was happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the tobaxi-god porn? Yeah. So that was a campaign that I was in. I played a black-furred tobaxi bard who had a rough backstory. The concept was that the twin chaos gods Doruman and Akrret would kidnap people who had no one to miss them, and transport them to a pseudo-copy of the world that they created where they were the only gods. (They are minor gods, and were jealous of the major gods.) As an added entertainment, Doruman would travel with groups of new arrivals as they explored and try to escape under the disguise of a tiefling named G. My character Asher Moon and G began falling in love and he kinda switched sides to try to help them escape from Akrret. 
> 
> The campaign unfortunately never finished, but us player's have ideas of where the characters all ended up.


	11. Rituals and Things

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly has gathered a strange assortment of people at Caleb's loft to perform a ritual. Will the poltergeist reveal herself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a few notes for this chapter. There are some original characters that represent some people that mean a lot to me here, and I want to introduce them since they don't get a lot of 'screen time' in this story. 
> 
> Delgrace Bookbinder is my baby. She is a halfling cleric I played in a homebrew campaign. Most of her story had been resolved, so she was relatively happy and a little excited to learn knew things. She loved information gathering. (And may or may not have a half-orc boyfriend named Tarsh.) Unfortunately, like the Asher campaign mentioned in the notes on the previous chapter, the DM had to cancel the game so we never got to resolve that story and it makes me really sad to think about her kinda stuck in limbo like that. I have my ideas of what happened to her and her party, it's just sad. 
> 
> Lewis is a character I wrote in to honor my grandfather who died Dec 23rd 2018, while I was writing this story. Gidget was his dog, his best friend for over 20 years who passed away only a month after he did. Lewis loved music, piano, guitar, trumpet, etc. He led the band for his local church, and spent a lot of time in the church's prayer garden. He was a kind man, with a huge heart for any and all who needed comfort, but sadly had a lifelong struggle with mental illness. This is my way of remembering him, even if it's a small part in my story, he has a fully-fledged backstory and maybe one day I might write some stories about him too.
> 
> Content warnings:  
> seance and related ritual magick stuff  
> creepy atmosphere  
> one of the characters is a ghost  
> (Honestly though, if you've made it through the shooting, and the crime scene, you should probably be okay here)

On Tuesday, an inspector came from the insurance and recommended one company to replace the glass and another to fix the carpet. Both needed a day advance on appointments, so Caleb resigned himself to another day closed. The store smelled faintly of burnt fabric and _bacon_ because of the carpet. He tried very hard not to think about what that meant.

Molly called around lunch to check on him and make sure he wasn't working himself too hard. Caleb wasn't sure what to make of that, or of Molly at all. Molly was witty and beautiful. And he always smelled nice, and his hair was always styled perfectly. And apparently, Molly had asked him on a dinner date then rearranged their plans to a movie date when he found out that Caleb was injured.

_A date._

Caleb still had issues processing the statement. Had Molly meant a _date_ date? Or was that just some turn of phrase people used now when planning get-togethers? Because the night before, their soft gazes and hushed tones, and later their excessive giggling on his floor, that... _felt_ like a date. 

Caleb had been trying to get the rest of the books in order so when the carpet was fixed he could open again. But he was too distracted thinking about Molly.

"Nott?"

"Yeah?" Nott's scratchy goblin voice replied, her head popped around the corner of the shelf he stood at.

"Do you.... do you get the sense Mollmauk actually _likes_ me?" Caleb refused to meet the eyes of his companion as she stepped completely into his aisle.

"I mean.... sure." She told him, her voice higher than usual. "He's nice to you. Helping you at the library and helping here, right? He is _nice_ , isn't he?" Her voice took a harder edge during her last question.

"Oh _ja, ja_. He is very kind. I just...." Caleb stopped moving books and instead rested his hands on the shelf directly in front of him, still not looking at Nott. "It has been a long time since someone has... asked me on a date. And Molly... apparently he has now asked me twice. I did not realize it was a date the first time when I said yes...."

"Now that you know what he meant, would it have changed your answer?"

Caleb thought about it. He hadn't realized he had a crush on Molly when he had asked him to dinner, but rewinding to that night and imagining if he had.... "No. I don't think it would have. I maybe would have been more nervous, but I would have said yes."

"Then why are you staring at the romance section like you want to burn a hole through them with your eyes?"

Caleb chuckled and finally turned towards Nott. "I am worried. And I do not know how to act. Do I... ask him on a date in return? Do I buy a gift? Should I... hold his hand? I haven't been on a date since I was 23, and that ended....." Caleb's face dropped as he thought of Astrid, "not well...."

"Do you want to do those things with him? Dates, gifts, and hand holding?" Nott looked up at Caleb with an expression of hope and support. Much like a mother on her son's first day of school.

"I... I don't know yet. He is very pretty, Nott. And I have issues with social cues. He is too good for me." Caleb decided to take a seat on the sofa in the lobby to continue their conversation, and Nott followed behind closely.

"None of that, Caleb. You're perfect the way you are. And if he thinks you're not good enough, then _he's_ not good enough for _you_."

"Thank you, friend. But I have seen and done terrible things..." Caleb looked down at his hands where they hung between his knees, his elbows resting on his thighs. For a moment he saw them coated in blood, then fire, then gunpowder before he just saw his hands again. "He is so bright and happy. I do not want to taint him with my darkness."

"Caleb." Nott knelt on the floor in front of him, trying to make eye contact as he still stared downward. Her voice was gentle, nearly pitiful. "Do you truly believe you are bad and full of darkness?"

"I... have my days... You know this, Nott." His own voice was exhausted. "You know I have killed. You know I... have done bad things for my addiction. You know the things in my head, probably better than anyone except maybe Pike."

"But you're not. You _are_ sad most days, and you _are_ traumatized. But you are not tainted. Caleb, look at me.” She pleaded. 

Caleb took a breath and raised his gaze to meet hers. Golden iris' looked back at him, and they were filled with so much love and loyalty. And it made him nauseous. He didn't deserve her. He didn't deserve Nott's friendship. 

"You are the kindest, most gentle man I've ever met. You have saved countless lives, and you remember every one of their names and faces. I know you've had to claw and fight to get here, to survive long enough to get here. But that just shows that you're strong, too. And you keep saying he's pretty, but you're not so bad yourself." He chuckled, and she smiled at him. "You are a good man. And you have _so much_ love to give. Molly should feel honored if you choose to share it with him. I know I do."

 _"Y ou_ are too good to me, Nott." He breaks their eye contact in favor of staring at his hands again. "I will think on this a bit longer. Maybe... maybe I will ask him to dinner again, once I am healed more."

Nott pats his knee, leaving a small cold spot on his jeans. "That's my boy." Her grin could blind a man.

***

Wednesday was a productive day. The repair men came and replaced his busted windows, and the carpet company was able to tell him that most of the smell and discoloration could be fixed with a good cleaning. But the section with the blood would need to be cut out. 

And so his carpet was repaired while Caleb finally finished reordering books. And by the end of the day, Caleb felt like he could breathe a little easier. 

  
  


***

  
  


"How's your Saturday looking?" Molly asked over the phone.

"Oh, that's very soon." It was Thursday evening, nearing closing when Molly called. The pain in Caleb's chest had been fading, and he was happy that he had been able to open the store for business.

"We can make it next Saturday if that's better for you. I just know a few people available that would be happy to help out."

"Well. I don't have any plans, as long as this strange purple tiefling doesn't come and drag me to the woods." He couldn't help it; Caleb smiled as Molly laughed.

"Oh dear, does that happen often?" Molly's voice was light and teasing, dropping the professionalism he had adopted while they were planning the seance. 

"Hmm. Only the once, but I'm keeping my eye out for a repeat performance." Caleb smiled down at the counter, where he was thumbing at the edge of his book. His chest felt bubbly. Now that he was aware of his crush, he wondered how he could've mistaken that feeling for anything other than what it was. 

"Oh, who knows. Maybe next time he'll bring a blanket and some sandwiches?"

"Are..." Caleb's smile brightened, looking around the store to make sure no one was watching. "Are you asking me to a picnic?"

"If I was, would you say yes?" Molly sounded so hopeful, how could he say anything other than yes?

"Maybe," Caleb teased. "Do we get the lovely scenery of crime scene tape and body bags?"

"Oh come on!" Caleb had to forcefully press his lips together to stop himself from laughing. "It was the one time, and it was a professional curiosity. I thought you could help me figure this case out. I'm really sorry." Caleb's smile dulled slightly as he remembered, he _could_ help with the case.... if he wasn't such a coward.

"I know, I know. I was joking. But in all seriousness, I would love to try a picnic with you, Molly. And Saturday is fine."

"Wonderful. I'll see you then?"

"Of course." Caleb smiled as he ended the call. He felt like a school boy with his first crush. And that scared him a little; these feelings could be dangerous. For example, Caleb had started to feel guilty about keeping what he knew about the drownings from Molly. But if he told Molly he knew what was causing them, Molly might figure out who he was. And Caleb couldn't have that. If Caleb planned to continue this foolish courting, he needed to really think things through. 

  
  


***

  
  


Friday passed fairly quickly, a standard day of business. Customers arrived and left, usually with a few books in tow. Some made special orders, including a few lesser magical tomes. 

Caleb also came to the realization that where spell books were sold, people often expected to find magical trinkets, such as charms and components. He made a few notes to explore the option of expanding his wares to include some of the more harmless artifacts. 

Saturday arrived, and Caleb was buzzing with nervous energy. Several people, most of them complete strangers, were going to be filing into his home in a matter of hours. And they weren't customers, milling about for a few minutes and leaving. These were guests. 

Molly had called Friday night and asked if Caleb was okay with one of the guests having a service dog. Though he clearly preferred cats, he wouldn't condemn someone for their choice in partner. 

So now, around noon, Caleb was pacing in the lobby, waiting for Molly and Yasha to arrive. 

"Caleb, relax."

"I can't. There will be strange people here soon... summoning a poltergeist..." Caleb snapped his fingers, and Frumpkin appeared in his arms as he continued pacing. 

"Yes. That is true. So, talk me through it. Why are you so worried?" Nott was sitting on the counter and watched him move back and forth.

"Strangers, Nott. You know I don't like strange people; they make me nervous. We don't know them. And... and the summoning. Molly said he had been possessed before. What if that happens? What if the poltergeist gets angry? And then someone gets hurt?"

"Okay. Good. Let's start from the beginning. First, these are friends of Molly. Do you trust Molly to not expose you to bad people?"

Caleb paused in his constant circling. He thought about it for a moment. He had not known Molly for long, but he did trust him. "Yes. I trust Mollymauk with this." Then he continued his repetitive steps, ready for her next question. 

"Good. Possession, Caleb? Really? You've excorsized six people in the last four years; I think that's a minimal issue. In fact, Molly is probably safer here, with you, than doing this at his shop."

Caleb nodded, still petting Frumpkin as he walked, but his steps were slowing, less frantic. 

"And angry poltergeist? We can deal with it when it happens. Molly said Yasha would be standing by as a safety net, whatever that means. Everyone is going to be fine."

"You are right, Nott. I just need to relax...." Caleb did his best to do so, but he still had anxieties. 

  
  


***

  
  


When Molly finally arrived with Yasha in tow, they were accompanied by a very tall firbolg. His fur was soft grey, and his vibrant, cotton-candy-pink hair had an undercut and was swept to one side. His clothing was loose and seemed to flow around him as he walked, as did a faint scent of earth. 

"Oh, hello." Caleb greeted them as they all entered. Yasha gave a small nod as acknowledgment but otherwise stayed silent. She was dressed in black jeans and a band tee for the Xhorasian Orchestra. 

"Hi. I'm Caduceus Clay. You can call me Caduceus. Or Clay. Or Cad. Doesn't really matter." The firbolg was unhealthily skinny, but his voice was deep and soothing. Caleb shook his hand and immediately felt at peace.

"Ah. The owner of Caddy's Shack, I presume. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Clay. This is my friend, Nott." He gestured to where Nott still sat on the counter, now disguised as a halfling woman. 

"Hello, dear." Molly stepped up next to Caleb, and there was a look on his face suggesting he wanted to do or say something but was holding himself back. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to head up and start preparing? The others should be here shortly."

"Oh, _ja_ , of course." He saw that Yasha was carrying a small duffel bag that seemed to be quite heavy, though she was unphased by the weight. Molly led Yasha and Caduceus up the back steps, and Caleb stayed behind to wait for the other guests. 

He didn't have to wait long; the last two guests arrived together, walking along the sidewalk. Caleb recognized their descriptions: an older human and a halfling woman, and the fact that the man had a dog in a working vest with him.

"Hello. Welcome to Paperback. You must be Mollymauk's friends."

"Oh, yes." The man's hair was graying with age, but his blue eyes were bright and alight with life. "You must be Caleb. It's good to meet you." Caleb shook the man's hand, calloused at the fingertips as if from playing instruments. "My name's Lewis, and this is Gidget," he points down to the service dog, who sat calmly at Lewis' feet. She was clearly part husky, but her legs were a little short, making her much smaller than one. "And this is Delgrace, a friend of mine."

"Hello there. I never knew there was a book store here. I might have to come back another time to shop." Delgrace was short, even for a halfling. Her skin was a deep chestnut color, her eyes a piercing green with a sort of intelligence behind them that was a little unsettling.

"Oh, _ja_. We just opened a few weeks ago, but we'd be glad to have your patronage." He waved them in and locked the door behind them. "Mollymauk is already upstairs, preparing. Please." He showed them the way upstairs, and Nott beat them to the landing -- the cheater.

Molly had chalked a large circle in the unused floor space between the kitchen and the living room. Caleb recognized some of them as various holy symbols. Some kind of incense that smelled vaguely of frankincense and vanilla had started burning, infusing the room with a relaxing haze. On the outside of the chalk circle, Yasha was placing large, rounded stones at equally spaced intervals from the bag she had been carrying.

Molly was sitting on the sofa, cross-legged and with his eyes closed. He seemed to be murmuring to himself. 

Lewis and Delgrace went straight to Caduceus, who had been waiting near the kitchen, and began talking about his tea shop nearby, but Caleb couldn't focus on them. Instead, he approached Yasha. 

"Are we sure this is safe?" Caleb was starting to get nervous again, despite Caduceus' and Lewis' calming auras and the incense drifting through the room. 

"Not at all." Yasha placed the last stone and stood up, looking down to meet Caleb's gaze. "But Molly is good at what he does. Really good. Bad things happen sometimes, but that is what I am here for," Yasha pulled out a decorative-looking athame from the bag and attached it to her belt. 

Seeing a magical weapon that Caleb assumed was meant to fight off a disembodied spirit if needed reminded him of the tools he had secretly readied in his room in case an exorcism was needed. 

"Oh. Okay, cool." _This was a bad idea..._

Yasha gave him a gentle smile before going to Mollymauk and touching his arm, leaning down to speak quietly to him. 

"Is this your first seance?"

Caleb looked away from the pair on his sofa to see Delgrace near him. "Yes. I have done plenty of research but never seen or participated. You?"

"I've done a few. Molly and I met a few years ago, and he knows I'm a Cleric of Xeros. Molly liked to have me around in case someone got hurt or a spirit got loose. Which is rare, by the way." Delgrace must have seen how nervous Caleb was, because she reached out her hand in an offer to take his. He didn't see a reason not to, so he let her take his hand gently. 

"I don't want anyone hurt because I cannot solve this on my own…. Least of all Mollymauk." Meeting Delgrace's eyes may have been a mistake. The moment he looked into them, his mind calmed, and he suddenly felt like he knew everything he needed to know. 

"Molly is a kind man. He would do this for anyone in need. You just need to relax and let him do his job. We are all here to protect him and to help you." Delgrace had a strange, motherly feel about her, and Caleb vaguely wondered if she had any children. 

"You are right. Thank you." He looked up slightly and noticed Lewis and Caduceus were still speaking. "How do you all know each other? I know Mr. Clay is Molly's roommate."

"Oh, sure." She released his hand gently and turned to face the others in the room. "Caduceus owns a tea shop called Caddy's Shack a few streets over, and he has open mic nights on Mondays and Wednesdays for local artists. Lewis plays there every week. Lewis also plays at my temple, and a few of us show up to cheer him on when he’s at Caddy’s." Delgrace's smile was warm and happy, like she hadn't a care in the world. Caleb both found it comforting but also unsettling that she could feel so relaxed before a dangerous ritual. But, as a Cleric, she probably performed rituals regularly. 

"Alright, everyone," Molly called out. "I'm ready to begin if you all are." Everyone began moving closer to the center of the room where the circle had been drawn. "Good. Caleb on my right, Caduceus on my left, please." Yasha brought the incense from the counter and set it in the center of their circle as everyone took a seat, knees nearly touching. She backed away and leaned on the wall near his bedroom door. Nott stood next to her.

"Alright, Caleb, a few notes." Molly locked eyes with Caleb for the first time since their date, and Caleb felt his heart do a flip. "I know this is your first time," Molly smirked, "so first things first. When the circle opens, you'll feel your energy ever so slowly being pulled from you. That's normal; you're supplying me with the energy I need to reach over. And then, once I get her here, she'll use it to hold on. Second, unless I am speaking or the spirit in the center is the one speaking, do not engage. Alright?"

"Engage?" Caleb was out of his depth here.

"There are sometimes spirits that respond to my call that we don't want. They will try to get you to talk to them, make deals with them, use you. The circle should protect us, but sometimes..." Molly made a face, and Caleb didn’t need further explanation. "Basically, unless it's the spirit I pull in, don't talk to them. And third, relax. You look like a statue with how rigid you are. Everything's going to be fine." 

"Why does everyone keep telling me to relax....?" Caleb grumbled. Molly chuckled. But before he turned away, Caleb reached for Molly’s hand. "Wait...." Caleb hesitated for a moment, six pairs of eyes on him - seven if you include the dog sitting patiently behind Lewis. Caleb was always worried about his own safety, but he'd never forgive himself if something happened to Molly while he was helping Caleb. Slowly, he pulled the pentagram charm from under his shirt, over his head and put it in Molly's hand, which he had been holding. 

"Caleb." Molly's eyes softened. "You should wear this. It'll protect you."

"You're the one summoning spirits. You can give it back after, _oder_?" Caleb turned to the rest of the circle, effectively ending the exchange. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Molly putting the charm around his neck. 

"Here we go." Molly sent one last nod to Yasha before he reached for Caleb and Caduceus' hands then closed his eyes. 

And Molly prayed.

It was quiet, and Caleb probably would've missed it if he hadn't been hyper aware. 

_"Moonweaver, please guide me, protect me, protect these people. Please guide my query so that we may succeed and help not just one lost spirit, but maybe two. Please guide my heart and guide my hands. Moonweaver, please guide my mind. Until the end of the moon, I'm yours...."_ Molly took a deep breath and began to slowly rock back and forth gently. 

Time seemed to stretch on and on. Molly's hand in his was soft but had a firm grip as if he was worried he might slip away. Molly rocked and rocked for what felt like hours, but Caleb knew had only been about twenty minutes. His rocking back and forth turned into more of a circling motion, his lips moving occasionally but never saying anything loud enough to hear. 

The others in the circle seemed to be completely at ease as they all held hands. Delgrace and Lewis appeared to be praying, and Caduceus had his eyes closed and a content look on his face. It was very strange, and Caleb felt like the odd man out in this circle of devout people. 

At some point, something changed. Molly's rocking sped up, his mumbling growing more insistent, his body tensing. 

The atmosphere of the room grew tense in a way that was hard for Caleb to describe. Like a thousand eyes were watching him, like hands were trailing down his spine. He felt something at his ear like someone trying to whisper to him. He shook his head to lose the sensation, but it returned. For a moment he thought he felt a cold hand at the base of his neck accompanied by a voice, _“I’ve got you.”_ Caleb tightened his grip on Molly’s hand, the voice seemed familiar and it unsettled him. The others in the room, now looking less content, but more focused, renewed the intensity in which they prayed.

Caleb was about to call if off when Molly's head tilted back, his face upturned to the ceiling. "I think I found her." He said, the rocking stopped. When he spoke again, there was something different about his voice, like it was brimming with a power Caleb didn’t understand. "We implore you, Spirit: please appear before us so that we may help." 

The lights began to flicker, threatening to burst, and Caleb silently cursed himself for not turning them off before they started. The incense in the circle began swirling, and Caleb could swear he saw faces in the smoke. 

Slowly, ever so slowly, the smoke began to solidify in the center of the circle, the colors muted and transparent but still showing through. Beginning at the feet, the smoke revealed dark leather shoes, then long, lean legs in blue trousers with a sleek iron line down the front. The smoke revealed a matching blue vest over a pale pink dress shirt. 

When the smoke finally solidified enough to make out the spirit's face, they saw a human with a medium complexion, possibly of Asian descent in her dark eyes and dark hair. The spirit looked at her hands in confusion then looked around the circle at the strange gathering of people surrounding her. 

"W-what's going on?" Her voice was faint, echoing, like it was coming from far away. The lights steadied, only blinking occasionally.

"Caduceus, now please." Caleb can see the strain on Molly's face when he spoke, eyes squeezed shut as he concentrated to hold the spirit in place. His hand gripped Caleb's more tightly. 

Caleb could feel the energy being drained from him now, like his soul was being dragged forward. 

"Hello, there. I'm Caduceus. Do you have a name?" Caduceus started, calmly.

The spirit's attention zeroed in on Caduceus as he spoke. "My... name...? You can see me....?" A look of wonder passed across her face before she schooled it into a look of forced neutrality. 

"Yes we can, for a short time. And we'd like to help you if you'd let us. Let's start with a name, please." Caduceus' voice was as soothing as it always had been, but he had added an edge to it, encouraging urgency, directing the conversation. 

"Beau." The spirit choked out through her shock. "My.. name is Beau...."

"Good, Beau. And do you have a last name?" 

"I.. I do... I know I do, but I can't remember…. It's like it's gone…. My head is... There's blank spots...." The lights began to flicker again as the spirit began to look frantic. 

"That's alright, Miss Beau. It's okay. We'll come back to that. Can you tell me what happened to you?"

Beau's hand flew up to the back of her head. After a moment, the schooled indifference returned, "Well clearly I've died, ya goop."

Molly smiled but kept his eyes closed as he continued to hold the connection open. 

Caduceus smiled as well. "Yes, of course. Let's start with when. Do you remember when?"

Once Beau was able to get the mask of calm on her face, she seemed determined to keep it, even through her confusion. "I don't... I was... I kissed my first girlfriend in 1917.... That's the only year I have in my head." Beau looked pleased with herself.

"Okay, that gives us a date range. We can work with that. Miss Beau, do you know how you died?"

Her hand moved slower this time to rub the back of her head again. Her voice dropped into a saddened cadence, but her mask remained in place. "Pain... blood... I don't know. I think... I think someone killed me.... I remember being angry." She dropped her hand back to her side, and they both curled into fists. The lights flickered again, the air in the room growing colder.

"Miss Beau. I know that must be painful to remember. We're going to try to help you, but we need to know as much as you can tell us. Any family? Friends?"

"I'm sorry. I don't remember. I can't..." The panic was creeping back into the spirit's demeanor. 

"It's alright, Miss Beau. Can you tell me why you're suddenly active? What's different about Mr. Caleb and Miss Nott?"

Beau turned her gaze to Caleb, and he nearly recoiled from the intensity in her dark eyes. Her voice was monotone, nearly inhuman when she spoke again. "His aura. So strong and warm. Like a fire in the darkness. So violently bright. But there's dark in places, like something is missing, or was taken from him..." She shook her head and blinked as if breaking a spell, turning back to Caduceus.

"I can't hold it much longer Duece," sweat had started beading on Molly's forehead despite the chill lingering in the room, and Caleb felt him shaking from where they held hands. 

Caduceus nodded, like the situation suddenly made sense before he spoke again. "We'll keep digging. And now we have a date, a face, and most importantly, a name. You are not forgotten, and we will keep searching for you." Caduceus had dropped the forceful edge, now comforting the trapped spirit of Beau. 

"Beau." Molly opens his eyes for the first time since the seance started and focused on the spirit in his circle, and Caleb saw his eyes glowing, much like his own do when he looks through Frumpkin. Molly's voice was strained as he spoke. "I may have a way for you to apparate more often. Be more present in the material plane." Caleb saw Yasha stand up straight from her post on the wall, a bewildered look on her face. "Is that something you're interested in? If it works?"

"Yes. Please. I don't want to go back to the dark." Beau, looked between Caduceus and Molly, like she wasn't sure who to speak to. "Please."

"Go in peace, Miss Beau," Caduceus spoke again, bowing his head respectfully to her.

Molly spoke again, but this time, with the sound of his own blood rushing past his ears, his heart pounding in his chest, Caleb couldn't hear Molly's closing prayer. Caleb had just participated in a real seance. And the spirit had called him out specifically.

The smoke that had previously held the semi-translucent form of Beau slowly dissipated from the circle, filling the room with a smoky haze. Molly sagged the moment it was over, and Caleb quickly caught him before his head could hit the floor. Molly was shaking from exhaustion, his forehead cold and clammy. Caleb held tight, afraid to let go. Yasha rushed over and knelt beside them, taking Molly from Caleb's arms, and carried him towards the sofa. 

The moment Molly was out of his arms, Caleb felt cold, as if Molly was a spark of warmth in his life that had just been taken from him. He shook off those thoughts and followed Yasha to the couch, nearly tripping over Gidgett as she darted around him and crawled onto Molly's chest, beginning to lick his face. 

Yasha stood over Molly, who gradually began to stir, while Gidgett never stopped her frantic licks. As he came too, Molly slowly smiled. He moved his face away from the dog before putting his arms weakly around her in a gentle hug. 

"Enough, Gidge." The husky-mix finally stopped her licking when Lewis spoke, sitting calmly on Molly's chest as he roused himself. Lewis stepped up next to Caleb, who was still standing a few feet back to give Molly and Yasha their space as they spoke quietly to each other. 

"Thank you,” Caleb said, “for sending her to him. She seemed to wake him quickly." He turned to face the older man. 

"I didn't need to; she knew. She's a special dog. She helps with my dissociation, so she can tell when people are unnaturally still." Lewis faced Caleb. "Have faith. You will solve this together." Lewis' smile was warm and grandfatherly. How Molly had managed to surround himself with such kind, strange people, Caleb might never know, but he was definitely thankful for it. 

"Well, then thank you for bringing her." Molly began sitting up with Yasha's help. Gidget finally relented, climbed back to the floor, and returned to Lewis' feet, where the man gave her appreciative "good girls" and some pets. 

"Okay," Molly spoke weakly, looking at Caleb. "So, now we know her name is Beau. And she's from the early 1900's." Molly laughed and rested his head back against the couch, looking exhausted. "Which explains why we didn't find her before."

Seeing Molly so weak because of him made Caleb feel sick. _I did this…. I don't deserve his friendship, or otherwise.... I should tell Molly to stop working on this; I can figure it out on my own._ Caleb was shocked out of his self hatred spiral by Molly holding out a hand towards him. Caleb looked at the hand for a moment, hesitating. _If Molly wants comfort, who am I to deny it, especially after what I just put him through…._

Caleb took Molly's hand, still colder than usual, and sat next to him on the sofa. 

The group around him seemed to be discussing what had happened; Caduceus and Molly spoke most of the time, with comments or questions from the rest of them occasionally. But all Caleb could think about was what Beau had said about him. That and the long line of Molly's body pressed into his side, much closer then when they had watched the movie, holding hands even! It could be his imagination, but throughout the conversation, Molly seemed to be moving impossibly closer. Probably seeking Caleb’s warmth. 

Caleb must have been lost to his own thoughts for quite a while, because when Molly shifted, jolting Caleb back to the present, he realized it was just Molly and Yasha in the room. 

Molly squeezed his hand. "Back with us?"

"Sorry, yes. I um... how long..." Caleb couldn't look Molly in the face at the moment, instead staring at their entwined hands. 

"Only a few minutes. You looked a little sick, so I sent the others home. Is your shoulder hurting you?" Molly's voice was so concerned it made Caleb feel even worse. 

"I am fine." Caleb gave a self deprecating huff, "you just passed out from summoning a poltergeist, and _you_ are asking _me_ if I am okay? Mollymauk." He finally shifted, bringing one knee onto the couch between them, but now he was facing the tiefling, with one delicate, purple hand held in both of his burned, scarred ones. "You... you are putting yourself in danger for me. And you shouldn't. I don't deserve your help."

"I'll go find a book downstairs," Yasha mumbled awkwardly as she got up from the coffee table where she had been seated and left.

Molly watched her go before turning to Caleb again, trying to catch his eyes, but the man refused to look at him. "It's not a matter of deserve, dear. Not only is this my job, I also _want_ to help you." He squeezed Caleb's hand again. "But... out of curiosity, why is it you don't think you deserve my help? Because, I have to admit, the mysterious new neighbor vibe is kinda hot to a point, but a guy gets a bit worried after a while," Molly teased. 

Caleb allowed himself a sad smile at Molly's joking. "I am a garbage person, Mollymauk. I don't deserve your kindness, or your help, or whatever this is." He raised their hands slightly to indicate their delicate relationship. "I don't deserve my... family, but I gave up years ago trying to convince them of that. But maybe it's not too late to save you…." Caleb finally met Molly's gaze. "Maybe it's not too late to keep you from being tainted by my darkness."

"I'm not going to pretend to understand what you mean, Caleb. And you don't have to tell me everything, but... I would like to know you, someday. Sooner than later, maybe?"

Caleb looked back down to their hands and was silent for a long moment, and Molly began to think Caleb would say no, pull away and this awkward courting would be over. 

"I know what killed that man, Evandar.... I will tell you, and I will tell you how to stop it. But I need you to not ask me how or why."

"Okay, that was not what I expected you to say...." Molly sat up a little straighter. "I really want to ask; you know that I do. But I won't. Can you tell me what it is?"

Caleb pulled his hands away from Molly's, feeling dirty for lying for so long. "Rusalka. You are looking for a Rusalka." Molly scrambled for his phone in his pocket and began typing as Caleb spoke. "You're looking for a young woman, who was likely meant to be married shortly before her death. Look up to three months before the first drowning; it's going to be a recent death. And she was probably killed in the lake by her betrothed."

"Oh, this is reality TV worthy. How do I stop it?" 

"You have to get her justice. Likely the death or the arrest of her murderer would suffice. Fighting her... You could, I suppose. It would slow her down but not stop her completely. She will just come back after a time and start killing again." Caleb made sure to look anywhere except at Molly as he finished typing on his phone. Caleb was staring blankly at the dark TV when a lavender hand appeared in his peripheral, taking his again. 

"Thank you for telling me, Caleb. This will help. I can have Fjord look for the girl. If we solve her death, we can prevent others. You did a good thing telling me." Once again, the softness in Molly's voice made him sick. _You don't deserve this._

Caleb curled his fingers with Molly's despite his inner monologue. Because though he knew he didn't deserve Molly's affection, he wanted it anyway. Ultimately, Caleb was a selfish man. 

"I hid it from you for a _week_ , Mollymauk. Because I did not want you asking questions. Someone else could've been killed in that time. Someone might still be killed before you find her, and that will be my fault. I'm sorry." Caleb squeezed his eyes shut. 

"I'm gonna hug you now. Is that okay?" Caleb's eyes snapped open and in the direction of Molly, just as the tiefling started to slowly move closer for an embrace. Confused and a little shocked, Caleb leaned in and hugged back. 

Molly's arms snaked around his waist, his chin on Caleb's shoulder, being mindful of his horns. The scent of lavender, cloves, and the incense from the ritual flooded Caleb's nose. The warmth from Molly's arms and chest seemed to melt some of the tension in Caleb's body. For the first time since that morning, Caleb felt himself relax. 

Somewhere, deep in his always nagging thoughts, the idea that someone could have such an effect on him scared him. But that was a thought for tomorrow-Caleb. Today-Caleb was breathing in the scent of Molly, reveling in the feeling of the man's hands rubbing soothing circles down his back. 

Maybe, just maybe, he could let himself have this for a little while longer. 


	12. Life Goes On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly brings by a gift for Beau, the boys plan their next date, and Beau discovers Disney movies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so happy that my punchy daughter is now here. <3 Several of you lovely readers had guessed that the poltergeist was Beauregard but I tried to keep it under wraps. The gang's all here now. 
> 
> Thank you all so much for your lovely comments. I crave validation so much... It means so much to me when you take the time to send me something. I know my replies are probably way longer and more detailed than necessary but I just love discussing this story with you all. 
> 
> Thanks again to Code for the beta, making me a better writer. 
> 
> Content warning:  
> Terrible usage of 1920's slang  
> Caleb has a brief moment of 'adult thoughts' about Molly, it's pretty mild, like less than one sentence

The week following the seance seemed much too mundane to Caleb. They had just summoned and spoken to his poltergeist in the loft, Caleb had confessed to lying to Molly about the Rusalka, Molly had _hugged_ him, and yet.....

Customers came, customers went. His shoulder healed nicely, leaving only the faintest patch of new, pink skin. The store had been sans ghost activity, except for Nott. Delgrace stopped by after work on Wednesday to shop. And though Molly had been working late to make up for his missed appointments the week before and unable to go to the library, he texted Caleb at least once a day. 

Caleb really wasn't a texter, but receiving occasional texts from Molly had him checking his phone every hour or so, hoping for a new one. They mostly talked about work. One day, Molly sent him a photo of a cat he found on his way to work. Another, he sent a YouTube video featuring book puns. 

On Thursday, Molly asked if he could stop by and drop something off for Beau. 

13:43 Caleb: For Beau?

13:45 Molly: yea remembr I told her i migt hav a way to let her appear in our plain

13:46 Caleb: Yes. And you have something to actually do that? To give her energy without blowing out my lights?

13:48 Molly: i do. if your ok w/ it. I can explan wen i get there

As Caleb closed up the shop that evening, he was feeling equally excited and anxious to see Molly. Other than the texts, they hadn't seen each other or spoken since Caleb confessed that he hid the Rusalka information. He was worried something may have changed between them.

" _Hallo_ ," Caleb smiled nervously as he opened the door to let Molly in. Molly was wearing his long, colorful coat again. 

"Hello, darling." Molly's presence washed over Caleb, comforting in a way he hadn't been expecting. "How was work? Productive, I hope?" Molly's smile was just as he remembered, friendly and open. No sign of mistrust or hostility to be seen. 

"Oh, uh, _ja_. A good day. And you? Were the spirits talkative today?" Caleb closed and locked the door, sitting with Molly on the lobby sofa. 

Molly huffed, "Are they ever talking?" He waited a moment before he continued with a smile. "The answer is usually no. _But_ ," Molly brightened, "Fjord called. He told me there was a drowning victim two months before the first one. Her name was Moira Anders. She was set to be married the _very next_ day. She was young, too. Like 19. Apparently her fiance was the last to see her alive, said she was jittery the night before the wedding and went on a walk to calm her nerves. She never came back. Her body was found three days later in the river. They eventually assumed she had jumped from the bridge and killed herself." Molly watched Caleb for any reaction. 

Caleb was calm, staring into the middle distance and nodded as he took in the information. "She didn't kill herself. She was either drowned or forced to jump. I promise you that." Caleb was glad the investigation was finally leading somewhere for Molly, but he wanted to push past that part of the conversation if he could. "You, uh... You said you had something for Beau?"

"Oh yeah!" Molly reached into his big coat and produced a large amethyst crystal about 5 inches long, with copper wire wound around it from end to end. Molly deposited it in Caleb's outstretched hand. 

"What is it?" Caleb staved off the urge to cast Identify right there in front of Molly; he still needed to keep that side of his life hidden.

"It's like a generator. It's been charged under many, many, _many_ full moons. Beau, if you choose to allow her, will be able to use this to manifest. Like, full body manifestation: talking and appearing… eh... mostly like a real person. Again, it's up to you. It's your home now, so you get to choose if you want to share it with her."

Caleb turned the device over in his hands a few times, considering the pros and cons. The poor girl had died, likely violently, and she had been trapped ever since. He felt bad for her. He really didn't want to force her to stay trapped like that if he could help it. "If she gets hard to handle, I can lock this in my safe? The one I use for Nott's anchor?"

"Oh, sure. It'll block the energy, and she'd go back to being her normal, poltergeist-y self. If she uses it a lot, I'll have to come by occasionally to help charge it. Or show you how to do it." Molly's look seemed to suggest something, but Caleb was still thinking about whether he should allow this strange ghost access to his home. If she got angry, she could cause some serious issues. 

But on the other hand, he was better equipped to handle the situation then most. _Better me than someone else_ , he thought. "I will consider it. Thank you, Mollymauk." Caleb smiled at Molly. 

"Hey. So, about that picnic..." Molly tilted his head down towards his hands resting on his own knee drawn up between them on the couch, he bashfully glanced up towards Caleb through his lashes. 

Caleb lowered the device to his own lap and faced Molly. He couldn’t help but feel warmer with how adorable the tiefling was being as he hummed his acknowledgment.

"I was thinking. We need to resume our research...." Molly started subconsciously picking at the loose strands at the hole in his jeans over his knee. "And there's a small park near the library. We could pick up something completely bad for our health after we finish at the library and sit in the park and look at the stars?"

Caleb watched Molly, this loud, bright person become so shy in his presence. And for a moment, he thought it couldn’t be real. That Molly was an apparition himself, or a dream sent to him by some creature, so that he may be tormented in his waking hours when he would awaken to realize that Molly hadn’t been real afterall. Caleb took notice of Molly's hand nervously picking at the strands of his jeans, and he wanted _so_ desperately to reach out to hold it. But is that what Molly would want?

_Do it. Just do it. If he doesn't want you to touch him, he can say so._

Almost without giving it the command, Caleb's hand slowly reached out and curled his fingers with Molly. It was reminiscent of when he’d held his hand on Saturday after the ritual. But the moment that they were snugly attached and Molly made no move to pull away, something loosened in Caleb's chest. He could breathe easier, he could see clearer. Deep down, Caleb had thought he had ruined their budding relationship by lying about the Rusalka. But there Molly was, still helping him, still smiling at him, still staring at Caleb with that look in his eyes; the look that Caleb still could not decipher. There Molly was turning a darker shade of purple as he squeezed Caleb's hand gently. 

The realization of how worried he had been paralyzed him for a moment. If he’d thought that _one_ lie might get in the way, well. There were more secrets to be shared if Caleb wanted this to work. But now wasn't the time. Caleb wasn't ready. So instead of spilling his dark secrets on the sofa between them, he returned Molly's hand squeeze with a smile.

"I'd love to."

  
  


***

  
  


Late that night, Caleb sat in the middle of his floor, where the chalk outline from the ritual had been smudged out but could still be seen faintly. The device Mollymauk had given him sat in front of him, Nott on the other side facing him. 

"So. You're gonna call out to her and give her permission to haunt us?" Nott asked cautiously. 

"I thought about it. I have caused a lot of pain in my days. And she is _in_ pain. If I can help her, I would like to. So I will give her some rules to follow, and if she does not follow them, the device goes into the safe and she is back to being an invisible dead person." Caleb takes a breath to prepare himself. 

"It's your funeral...."

Caleb almost smiled before channeling his magic into his words. "Beau. If you can hear me, I invite you to a chat. Please use this device as energy to manifest."

Slowly, a shape began to form, sitting to the side of them with her legs crossed and her wrists resting on her knees, the device sitting in the middle of all three of them. Her form flickered a few times before stabilizing. 

"My ears were burnin'." She grinned at Caleb, sending a chill down his spine. 

Now that she was less transparent, Caleb could see how tanned her skin tone was, how her eyes were such a dark brown that Caleb wondered if they had been black. They held a strange intensity that made Caleb sit up straighter in what felt like defiance. 

"That's it? You're a poltergeist that's been locked in this building since the 20's, and 'my ears were burning' is all you have to say when someone summons you? Not a 'holy crap you can summon me?'" Nott intoned loudly. 

Beau turned her gaze on Nott, seeming to take in her Goblin form before speaking. "I mean, I'm not some jingle-brained tomato. I know my onions."

"Tomatoes and onions? What language are you speaking?"

"Nott. It is slang. She's saying she's not an idiot and likes to be informed." Caleb watched as Beau turned her attention back to him. Her overly perceptive eyes raking across him made him shiver again. "You can hear us talking when you are.... wherever you are?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes it's like I'm right in the room with you." She looked a little sad before continuing. "Other times... it's... black. Just darkness. Nothing."

"Oh." Nott's face fell, probably thinking about what it would feel like to be in the darkness.

"But it's no big deal. I'm here now, and you got a plan, right?" Beau shrugged and gestured to the device. 

"Yes. I would like to propose a deal. I will allow you to use this device to..." he fished for the right word.

"Exist?" She suggested.

"I would've said it differently, but _ja_. Exist. But there will be rules. First and foremost, you will stay out of my room. My privacy will not be compromised."

"Done. You're not my type." Beau's voice took on an edge of professionalism that surprised him. There was much to learn about his new tenant. 

"Good. Second, you will stop harassing the customers. It is because of them that we can afford to live here. That includes scaring them."

She hesitated a moment before grimacing. "Fine. I was just having fun..."

"At other people's expense. Not okay. Third, stop blowing out my lights. The ones down stairs are fluorescent. They get expensive...."

Beau smiled with a snicker. "Sure. I can try."

Caleb looked her over. The image she was projecting was of a tough girl, unafraid, with an attitude. But there was something else. He’d seen her during the seance: she was terrified, desperate. She didn't want to go to the darkness. She wanted to 'live'. He knew there were risks in trusting her, but he also knew this was the right thing to do.

"Last thing. When you get emotional--"

"I don't get emotional." She interrupted. 

"Hmm. When emotions get high, you start throwing and breaking things. Do you think you can control that? Or warn us?"

She was silent for such a long stretch of time that he almost thought she’d decline and wither away again. But after her watching him while he watched her, she finally agreed. 

"I'm not gonna pretend I know how this works, man. But yeah. I'll try." 

"Good. If I think of something else, I will mention it. Welcome to The Paperback Wizard."

"Cool. Cool. So do I get like a membership coin or....?"

Caleb gave her a small smile. This was going to be interesting. 

***

Most of Friday, Caleb ran the shop alone. It was a slower day, so he hadn't minded very much. When he really needed help, Nott would come down and help before disappearing again. He couldn't quite figure out why until he closed for a short lunch and headed upstairs. He was momentarily shocked to see not one, but two heads above the couch. 

Nott and Beau were staring intently at the TV while Fox and the Hound played. 

Caleb smiled and watched them in silence for a few seconds. "What are you doing?"

Beau and Nott both jumped, turning on him. He's pretty sure he saw Beau wiping her face before she spoke. "Don't sneak up on me like that, man."

"You are both dead." He laughed as he went to sit in one of the armchairs to watch a few minutes of the movie. 

"It's still rude..." Beau grumbled, returning her attention to the screen. 

"As is breathing on people when they can't see you. This is my favorite part," he points to the screen as Tod saved Copper from a bear. 

"I can't believe I missed these movies. Little Mermaid, Anastasia, Frozen? Man I got zotzed too soon!"

"You are odd, Miss Beau." He stood after the scene was over to make some toast for his lunch. "I need to open again in a few minutes. You both are welcome to join me.”

Beau turned in her seat to look at him, her arm rested on the back of the couch. "You really want me down there?" There was an almost childlike disbelief in her voice.

"If you can play nice, _ja_ , sure. I don't see why not. You have been cooped up in this building for a long time with no one to talk to. I figure some interaction, or at least people-watching, could be good for you."

Once again, her overly perceptive eyes seemed to rake down his skin, and he suppressed another shutter. 

"Okay. I mean, I'll just, like... sit in a corner or something. No biggie." She turned her attention back to the movie. Nott turned to him and gave him a thumbs up over the back of the couch. 

Frumpkin jumped onto the counter next to Caleb, trying to get to the glass of milk he had poured for himself. Caleb muttered to the cat, “I live such a strange life….”

***

Beau was true to her word. She sat on the sofa in the lobby, eyes wide, as she alternated between watching out the window at passing people and cars and watching the customers who came in and out of the store. 

A few hours later, near closing, the store had started to clear out but Beau stayed at her post. When the flow of people slowed, Caleb noticed she was watching him instead as he busied himself by pricing new books and putting them into stacks to shelve over the weekend. 

"So, like, what's your story, man? I know you're from Florida. You don't have a single medicine in the entire building. You have brothers back home. And like, you offed a bunch of monsters with them. And you're completely in love with that psychic guy."

Caleb stopped in the middle of pricing and just stared at her. "How..." His throat suddenly closed up, and he had to clear it to continue speaking. "How do you know that? The monster thing..." Caleb glanced around the store and saw only a mother and daughter in the back aisle, looking at cook books. 

Beau's piercing, dark eyes settled on his again. "I told you. Sometimes it was like I was here, standing right next to you. I probably know way more than you want me too. But I'm no rat."

Caleb forced himself to continue working, his thoughts racing back through all of the conversations he’d had in the building since moving in, desperate to make a list of things Beau might know. He stayed quiet as he finished the stack of books, considering what to say next. Beau, surprisingly, stayed silent. When he had priced and stacked the final book on the side table, he leaned his hip against the counter and faced her, crossing his arms defensively. 

"Ignoring the jab about Mollymauk for now, Percy, Grog and Vax are the closest things to brothers I have ever had, _ja_ . They are good people. They taught me what good men look like. But I am not a good man. I am a _bad_ man and a worse son. And for a long time, I was an atrocious human in general. I cannot fix what I have done, the people I have hurt, and I have to live with that every day. And to do that..." Caleb hesitated. This would be the first time he’d said it out loud since leaving home. "To live with myself, I helped the others do some kind of good. I... I became a hunter."

He quieted as the woman and her daughter brought a few books to the counter. He checked them out with a polite smile and threw in a coloring book about cats for free. "Have a good day." He followed them to the door, locked it behind them, and flipped the sign. He leaned his forehead against the door silently, trying to decide how to continue. He knew Molly would be there shortly to head to the library. 

"I did a job that not many can." He turned to face her, now only a few feet away from where she sat. "And I was good at it. _Too_ good. And it earned me a target on my back for my trouble. So now I am here. With you. Anything else? I'm leaving soon." 

When Beau finally broke eye contact and shook her head looking a little ashamed, he went upstairs to get his bag and a sheet to lay on at the park. Caleb's mind was surprisingly calm, even after telling most of his story to her. Well, only the parts she was already aware of. There were plenty of things she didn't know from his time before Gilmore's, and he wasn't about to tell her. 

When he headed back down stairs to leave, the taxi already waiting on the curb, Beau stepped in his way, her posture that of forced relaxation.

"Hey, man." Beau looked uncomfortable, her hands in her pockets and her suit jacket pushed to the side, like she wasn't used to saying what she was about to say. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was such a sore topic. I'm not... used to people, anymore. And you're really helping me out here. So just... Sorry. And thank you."

Caleb saw the sincerity in her face, heard it in her voice. The frustration he had felt melted away. "You are forgiven, Beau. But remember what I said: my privacy will not be compromised by you being here. I have things I don't want to get out. Understood?"

She nodded, not making eye contact and instead looking over his shoulder; a trick he used frequently. "Yeah. Understood." She stepped out of his way, letting him pass. She followed him to the door and looked out longingly. "Have fun tonight. And let me know if you find anything."

"I'll see you both in a few hours," he said as Nott appeared beside Beau. "Nott, the usual drill? Let's make it midnight." He smiled as he left the shop. 

***

"Back again?" Sam greeted them as they entered the property records room. 

"Yeah. Turns out, our girl is way older than the year 2000." Molly led the way to Sam's desk with a sway in his hips. It was getting warmer, and so they both had forgone their coats that evening, giving Caleb a clear view of Molly's rear end in his tight jeans. Including his tail, which swished back and forth, much like a cat's. 

"Oh?" Sam put down the folder he had been working on. "How much older?"

"The 20's?" Molly gave Sam an innocent smile. "Think you got anything from then?"

Sam gave a low whistle. "Wow. Yeah, we might. Records weren't kept as neatly back then, but we can look." Sam pulled out a ledger again and started looking through it. "Same address?" 

"Yup." Caleb watched as Molly easily conversed with this other man. And once again he found himself admiring Molly for how free he was. He wasn't afraid to talk to people. To make eye contact. To complement and flirt. Not like Caleb was. 

Caleb looked away from the interaction and took in the room. It was exactly as it had been the last time they were here, and so he found himself lacking in details to distract himself. 

Finally, he heard Sam give off a few shelf numbers, and off they went, looking for anything to do with his building. In the end, they found only one box, dusty and water damaged on one corner. 

Sorting through this box was a little slow going; most of the papers were hand written in a chicken scratch that even Caleb struggled with, and he couldn't even imagine how Molly must've felt. To make the process even worse, some pages were stained or missing entirely leaving gaps between owners. 

Eventually, they did end up with five names. Three of them had owned the building for several years at a time, and Caleb was a little surprised to learn that his neighborhood had been partially residential in the early 20's, with homes for the wealthy owners of businesses or ranches and farms outside of town. 

It was nearing 9 o'clock by the time they finished. And though they definitely could've started on the microfilm machines, looking for crimes and suspicious deaths, they were both eager to start their date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Doing some crystal research, I found some sources that stated 'Amethyst can help power through emotional exhaustion.' And since I made Beau feed off emotions and energy, I figured it would be a good spiritual generator for her. 
> 
> Disney was founded in 1923, but at that point, they only had small cartoons (Alice Comedies, and Steamboat Willie). The first film, Snow White, wasn't released until '37. So Beau missed all of our beloved movies. :(


	13. Secrets Whispered into the Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb and Molly enjoy a quiet night under the stars. Caleb struggles to find the confidence to make a confession, and Molly gives one in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YO! 300+ views since last week!? I'm shocked. lol Thank you all so much. I love all the amazing comments you leave, and I love to discuss the story with you all. It's my favorite part of the week to be honest. 
> 
> I promised date night, so here we are! This is probably both my favorite and least favorite chapter I wrote. lol The first half is so near to me, and the second half I feel is a bit clinky, but it was really important for it to happen so.... yeah. 
> 
> Content warning:  
> -Caleb has some mildly sexy thoughts, but it's like two lines.  
> -Caleb tells a story from astrology that includes someones death, and his loved ones ending their lives because of it. It is not in detail, and is straight from the actual history of Icarius and his Faithful Hound, but be safe. You could probably skip the two paragraphs starting with ""Okay. Well the story says that" and "Caleb chuckled and continued. "Nein. Ikarios had a dog."  
> -Caleb typical self-hate and anxiety  
> -our boys being gay. Like really RALLY gay.

"So what do you feel like Mister Caleb? There's a sandwich place on the way, a Chinese place. Oh, there's this great Halal spot. Or we can just get burgers and shakes." Molly was walking beside him, his hands in his pockets and kicking up one of his booted feet occasionally as he walked. It was odd to watch but Caleb found himself smiling at the childishness of it. 

"I'm not very hungry, but burgers and shakes actually sound good. You know a place?"

"Do I?" Molly smirked and gave an eyebrow wiggle. "Where in Florida are you from again? I don't think you ever said."

"Oh. Uh. Mostly in the middle. It's kind of a small area. You wouldn't recognize it." Caleb's default was to dodge the question, but as he watched Molly's smile fall just slightly, guilt stabbed at him. He needed to be more open with Molly if he wanted this to work. Maybe a little at a time. But before he could amend his statement and tell him the city name, Molly was talking again. 

"So you haven't had Whataburger yet?" 

"No, but I have seen it everywhere. Is it any good?"

Molly didn't speak his answer, instead, he laughed and grabbed onto Caleb's hand and pulled him excitedly in the direction Caleb assumed was the nearest Whataburger.

****

By 9:30, Molly had a burger and a drink, Caleb had some fries and a milkshake, and they were wandering the park, looking for a decent place to see the stars. They settled on a spot near one of the ponds, with a few trees around the clearing, leaving a circular view of the sky if they looked up. 

Caleb pulled the thin sheet from his bag; it wouldn't do much for padding, but at least it would protect their clothes from the slightly damp ground of mid spring. He spread it out in a clearing a few feet off the trail, and Molly promptly kicked off his boots to step onto the sheet and sit with his legs crossed near the center. Molly smiled up at Caleb and patted a space on the sheet near him. 

Caleb removed his bag and set it in one of the corners before also removing his boots and taking his place near Molly. Molly pulled out his burger and pulled off a piece to pass to Caleb, "you  _ need  _ to try this."

Caleb laughed at Molly's insistence, took the piece, and popped it into his mouth. It certainly wasn't his favorite thing to eat, but he could taste how fresh everything seemed and was thoroughly impressed. Most fast food in the US, he had found, was stale and frozen. That did not stop him from eating it, though. 

"It's good, thank you." Caleb pried the lid off his shake and took a few of his very hot, fresh fries from his bag and dipped it in the creamy vanilla ice cream. He was halfway through chewing it before he noticed Molly staring at him, mouth agape. "What?" He asked after swallowing his bite. "Did I drop...?" Caleb wiped at his face and then looked down his shirt to make sure he hadn't dripped ice cream all over himself. 

"What... what did you just do? With the fries?" Molly was staring at Caleb, an amused expression spreading across his face. 

"You've never dipped fries in a milkshake?" It was Caleb's turn to share something with Molly, so he dipped a fry in the ice cream and held it out to Molly, expecting him to grab it. Instead Molly leaned forward and took the fry from Caleb's fingers with his mouth, and Caleb's brain short circuited. 

Caleb blinked when he heard Molly hum. "That's surprisingly good. I can't believe Gustav never showed me that!" Molly's laugh was high and clear, like chimes, and Caleb shook his head to clear any leftover unsavory thoughts about Molly’s mouth. 

"Oh, uh,  _ ja _ . My father showed me when I was little. He would pick me up from school, and if I had a good grade on report card days, he would take me to get ice cream and fries, and we would sit on the hood of the car and eat them before he took me home. I guess I never noticed it was a weird thing?" Caleb smiled at the fond memory, thinking back on his father. 

"That sounds lovely. Did you have any other silly traditions?" Molly scooted closer to Caleb as he tore his burger into smaller bites to make it easier to eat as they talked. 

"Hmm. Let me think…. Oh, when I got old enough to stop believing in  _ Weihnachtsmann _ , Santa," he explained at Molly's confused look, "my mother thought it was cute to address all my presents from our cat, Frumpkin." 

Molly snorted, and nearly choked on his soda. "Your cat? That's adorable!" 

"Not to a very confused seven year old." Caleb couldn't help but laugh with Molly at the ridiculousness of it. 

"Seven? Don't kids believe in Santa 'til they're like, fourteen?" 

"How long did you---- Oh, I hadn't even thought of that." Caleb's smile dropped. "I'm sorry Molly. I hadn't made the connection, that you would not have had that experience."

Molly shook his head as he washed down a bite with his soda. "It's fine, dear. Really. I came to terms with all that years ago. You really stopped believing in Santa at seven?"

Caleb was hesitant to continue that line of conversation, but by now he trusted Molly to redirect the conversation if needed. " _ Ja _ , I was a... a bit of a smarty pants."

"Was?" Molly smirked, teasing. 

"Hush you." A smile returned to his face. "What about you? You said that... Gustav?" Molly nodded "Gustav took you in. Any traditions he gave you?"

"Well. He runs a second chance home, y'know? So I wasn't the only one he took in. There were always a lot of us staying with him and Desmond, his husband. Anyway, a few years ago, this young girl, Toya came to stay with us, and she had this tradition left over from her family that if you made eye contact with someone while eating corn on the cob, you had to keep eye contact and finish the cob. That one was so silly it stuck, and we still do it on the holidays. Many a Heimlich  maneuver due to choking on corn while laughing."

"I'm sorry, you what?" Caleb was equally horrified and entertained. The thought of being forced to eat something as messy as corn on the cob while making direct eye contact drove him mad. But then he thought about how Grog and Scanlan would love the challenge, and he couldn't stop himself from picturing it. 

Caleb had found himself doing that a lot lately. Not able to stop himself from smiling, or laughing, or picturing things. It was another odd symptom, but this time he didn’t think he needed Pike to diagnose it. He now recognized the feelings he had started to experience. Feelings he hadn't had since college, since Astrid. But this was different than it was back then, better, freer. It both excited and terrified him. 

"Caleb? You still with me?" Molly's expression was of patience and understanding. Caleb blinked at him to clear his thoughts away. "Where do you go, when you leave like that?"

"I'm sorry. My brain is.... well my therapist says 'different'. I would say damaged..." Caleb had finished his fries during their conversation, so he sipped on the remains of his shake to gather his thoughts. "Sometimes my head gets stuck in the past. And sometimes I lose track of time, hyper-fixating on things."

"Which was it this time?" Molly had also finished his food, leaning back on the palms of his hands.

"I was stuck on a topic." Caleb considered his next words carefully before continuing with a spark of bravery. _"_ _ You _ . You were my topic…." Caleb stared out at the pond nearby, avoiding eye contact and instead choosing to watch the moon dance across the surface of the water. 

"Anything in particular?" 

Still avoiding eye contact, Caleb set his cup out of the way so the melted cream wouldn't spill on them and then laid down, motioning for Molly to lay next to him. The weather was mild, considering the time of year, and the sky was clear. The lights from the city drowned out some of the stars, but Caleb could still recognize a few familiar shapes. 

Molly lay next to Caleb, barely a sliver of space between them, gazing at the sky and occasionally stealing glances at the man beside him. Molly was patient as Caleb gathered his thoughts, understanding that sometimes Caleb needed the extra moment. 

"I am... feeling...  _ something _ . For you, I mean. Something I have not felt in many years, I was not aware I  _ could  _ feel this way, again." Finally, Caleb turned his head to face Molly, a few inches away on the sheet, and they met eyes for a brief moment before Caleb decided he couldn't face Molly when he said these things and instead looked at the charms hanging from Molly’s horns. "I am scared." He continued. "The last time I... connected to someone, it ended badly. And I am a garbage person, Mollymauk. You do not even know who I really am."

"Won't you tell me? Maybe not this moment, but someday? You know, with my history, or lack of, I don't much care for people's pasts, so I don't need to know everything right now." Caleb felt Molly's hand find his on the sheet between them, and he welcomed the contact. "I care about the now. And what I've seen of you is a cute bookstore owner with an unhealthy obsession of cats, being plagued by the supernatural, who has an uncanny knowledge of the things that go bump in the night, and who has magic coursing through him, though I can’t fathom why."

The last part had Caleb's gaze locked onto Molly's with an almost panic in his eyes. 

Molly shushed him. "I told you, you don't need to talk right this moment, never really. But I'll be here to listen if you think I need to know someday." Molly looked back to the sky.

They lapsed into silence as Caleb slowly relaxed, watching the side of Molly's face. After it was obvious Molly wouldn't push and Caleb's heart rate slowly receded back to normal, he also looked to the sky, very aware he was still holding Molly's hand.

"You can still kind of see one of my favorite constellations over there." Caleb pointed to the edge of the horizon, where he could just barely see the retreating shape of Canis Minor. "It has two stories, but I grew up with the legend of the Moonweaver and  Ikarios . Do you know the story?"

"Moonweaver? As one of her followers, I feel like I should know it if I don't already. Please, do tell."

"Okay. Well the story says that the Allhammer and the Dawnfather created wine together, as a gift to the Storm Lord. But the Moonweaver, in her surreptitious, devious ways, stole the recipe and gave it to one of her followers, Ikarios. Ikarios wanted to share it with fellow man, so he made some and gifted it to two farmers, who quickly became drunk. They feared that Ikarios had poisoned them, and so they lashed out and killed him."

Caleb paused to gauge Molly's reaction so far, by turning to see Molly looking back at him, eyes wide. "Is that the end? They killed him?"

Caleb chuckled and continued. " _ Nein _ . Ikarios had a dog with him, Maera. She ran and fetched Ikarios' daughter, Erigene. When they arrived at the scene to find Ikarios' body, they both wept. Then in their grief, the girl hung herself in a nearby tree, and the dog drowned herself in a well. And in the Moonweaver's grief, she added the three of them to the stars, to be remembered."

"That's terrible, yet beautiful." Caleb thought he saw Molly's eyes sparkling more than before. 

" _ Ja _ ." Caleb smiled at him sadly, considering what to say next. He could stop here, not tell the other story, not tell Molly what he so badly wanted to keep secret. But, perhaps emboldened by his talk with Beau earlier that night, he forged on. "But later, after college, I met someone who told me a different story." He continued, before he could chicken out, "The story of Orion, and his faithful hound. Do you know Orion?"

"Of course I know that one, Orion's belt? He's a great hunter or something, right?"

"Correct. Depending on which version you hear, Orion was a great hunter, boasting that he could defeat any creature the Earth could produce. So the Earth trembled, cracking open, and a great scorpion emerged. The battle was terrible. But in the end, the scorpion killed Orion, and the Gods put them both in the sky as a reminder to not become over-confident." Caleb took a deep breath, trying to slow his heart. He could still stop here. He could stop talking. But he wanted so badly to trust Molly and for Molly to trust him. 

"Caleb?" Molly spoke after a long moment of silence, worry laced his voice. Molly sat up on one of his elbows to face Caleb, looking down at him. "You alright?"

_ Do it. _ "You know what I am?" Caleb began,  sighing miserably , looking at the silhouette of the tiefling above him. "What I do? I have not told you, not in so many words, but you know. I do not know why, or how, but I can see in the way you look at me differently, now that you have figured it out. I have slipped out far too much information to deny it now." Caleb turned his gaze back to the sky, back to Canis Minor. "I am a hunter.  _ Was _ , a hunter. I am... retired. I do not want that life anymore; it became too much. I, like Orion, became too confident in my abilities. I was hunted in return for those that I... dispatched. And then...  _ something  _ happened, and it made me realize how easily life can be taken from you. And for the first time in many years, I realized that I no longer wanted to die... And I... I came here to leave that behind me." 

This was the second time within a day that he had admitted to being a hunter. It was equally freeing and painful. 

Caleb turned his head to face Molly again, pleading with his eyes for the tiefling to understand. "Mollymauk,  _ that  _ is why I lied about the Rusalka. Because I didn't want to get dragged into that life again. But I could not let other people die for my silence. I am  _ sorry _ ." Caleb sat up on one of his elbows as well, trying to get eye level with Molly. "I am very sorry I lied to you. I know that it is unforgivable...." Caleb’s inner self hatred began to seep into his voice so he cut himself off.

Molly was silent for several moments, and Caleb tried to be patient like Molly was for him. But his brain screamed at him,  _ you've ruined it. He'll never want you now. You are a murderer. You still have secrets you're keeping from him. You don't dese--- _

"I forgive you." The jewelry in Molly's horns jingled lightly in the breeze, the moonlight reflecting off the delicate pieces. 

"You... you do?" Caleb felt his face scrunch up in confusion, not sure if he should believe the words. 

Molly giggled, "you're so cute when you think. Relax, Caleb." Molly reached out with a thumb and smoothed over the wrinkle in Caleb's forehead. "I  _ already  _ forgave you for the Rusalka. In fact, I should probably thank you. For sharing your story, or part of it. I can tell you have things you still hold close to your chest. And that's okay. But you sharing this thing that feels so huge to you, which means you trust me." Molly smiled encouragingly. "That's all I can ask for right now, is a little trust."

Caleb studied the man's face, his red eyes staring back into his own. Molly's face was relaxed, no sign of anger or deceit. Molly's lips looked soft. And Caleb wanted to kiss them. 

Caleb slowly leaned in, his better judgment telling him this was a bad idea, watching for Molly's reaction, to gauge if he should pull away.  Caleb’s self hatred and confusion, and his feelings for Molly, his desire for the tiefling, all warred inside him. Molly's smile softened, the corners relaxing further and Caleb noticed Molly's breath pick up speed. They were already so close, sharing the night air. It would be so easy...

Caleb lifted a hand to trace a thumb over Molly's cheek, Molly's hand coming to rest on his waist. They gazed at each other for a moment before moving closer, lips nearly touching and----

_ Beep beep. Beep beep. Beep beep.  _

" _ Scheiße _ !" Caleb jerked back, startled. He patted down his pockets as he heard Molly flop back to the ground, giggling. "Sorry! Sorry... I have to be home at a certain time, or Nott will call Gilmore." He laughed nervously as he turned the alarm off. "I mean, I think she knows you're not a serial killer by now, but I would not put it past her to send the alarm anyway."

"She thought I was a serial killer? Well I'd like to say that it's a first but..." They both laughed as they began putting their boots back on. 

Caleb stood and helped pull Molly to his feet. They gathered their trash in a companionable silence, and he folded the sheet back up and forced it into his bag. All the while, he was reassessing his feelings. He had confessed to Molly about being a hunter and.... and Molly hadn't said anything yet. He seemed to just... accept it? That wasn't at all what he had been expecting. 

But if he'd learned one thing from his years with Gilmore and his family, it's that the expected is hardly ever what happens. 

They started walking back towards the library, planning to catch a taxi from there back to Caleb's building, and it gave Caleb plenty of time to realize that, in addition to his confession, he had almost kissed Molly. 

_ He'd almost kissed Molly. And Molly had almost kissed back! _

He could still feel the soothing circles from Molly's thumb on his hip where his hand had rested. He could still feel the warmth from Molly's breath as they leaned in. He could still feel his heart hammering away in his chest. 

"Caleb." Molly's voice sounded hesitant, and Caleb's heart dropped.  _ There it is... the other shoe.... _

"Yes, Molly." He began building his wall, the one he usually kept around his heart. He had known this was too good to be true. Molly hadn't accepted it; he had just needed time to figure out how to leave.

"Oh. That’s the first time you’ve called me Molly.” There was something in the tiefling’s voice, and Caleb worried he had messed up. _Only his friends call him Molly…._ “I like it…. But…. I should tell you something too. It's not really a _secret_ , like yours was. It's just kind of kept on the down low. But it's... related? To what you told me." Caleb stopped building his wall to scrunch up his face in confusion. 

Molly continued, "So. You said you wanted to leave all that danger stuff behind.... And I understand if what I'm about to tell you changes how you feel about me. But I should tell you now, before we move this further, right?" Molly half turned his face to him as they walked, a sad smile in place. 

"What is it, Molly?" The streets were empty save for the occasional vehicle. Caleb's mind latched onto 'further' and ‘I like it,’ but he did his best to pay attention. 

Molly was quiet as they walked. "So, you know how Gustav took me in? And how he runs a home?" Caleb nodded. "Okay well, he also runs a few businesses; Fletching and Moondrop is one of a few spread throughout central Texas. He looks for people with potential, when he takes us in. People... not quite ordinary? People like me, with abilities. And he helps us figure them out if we want to learn. If not, he's happy to just provide a home, a safe place. But those of us who want to learn, or can't control them and  _ need  _ to learn.... Well, those people, he teaches."

Caleb was more confused than he had been before. "Teaches? What does he teach?" A seed of worry, of familiarity, appeared in his chest. Flashes of graying hair and splatters of blood flashed through his mind’s eye before he focused back on Molly’s voice. 

"Well, first he just helps us control our abilities. He taught me about the different kinds of energy and types of clairvoyance. He taught me how to tune it out if I wanted to. Then, after I expressed more interest, asked more questions, he taught me more. About this world that exists just below ours. About how sometimes, the two worlds collide, and people die because of it. I couldn't just sit back and do nothing, not when I was given this second chance. So he taught me how to help. And that's what I do."

"So..." Caleb struggles to process this information. His mind moving slowly. "You.. are also a hunter?" 

"No no. Not so much. No, I like.. I like to think of myself as just a last defense, you know? I'm not as great at the knowledge thing, like you and Gustav are. So I don't hunt things. I just... I help when people ask. People like Fjord. He was clueless when he started here. But, with my help, he's saving more people, solving more crimes. It works out."

"Oh." Caleb's mind was desperately trying to catch up. A few details made sense now: Molly's calluses, Molly not even blinking when he let slip about the Soul Wight, not pushing when Caleb told him about the Rusalka. Because Molly was not new to this world. Less experienced than Caleb, but not new. 

"So. If you decide you want to stop here and not continue, I understand. I'm not exactly the safe option, as far as what you came here for." Molly's voice was so miserable, and his ears and tail had drooped. 

They had arrived on the corner where the taxi's were most likely to come by, so Caleb stopped Molly, facing him, speaking slowly. "I am not sure what this is yet. Like I told you, it has been a very long time since I felt anything like this towards anyone at all. So, I am confused. And a little scared. But, I am interested to see what we can do together. If you can look past my history, then I think the least I can do is show a little faith in yours."

Molly's ears perked up, but his face stayed neutral in an adorable attempt at a poker face, and a smile broke out on Caleb's face from the sight. "Okay, yeah. I can handle that. One moment at a time."

Caleb had a lot to think about. But with a little of the weight taken from his shoulders, he felt like he could breathe again. 

The two of them shared a peaceful ride back, hands twined together in the back of the taxi before bidding each other goodnight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Them backstory reveals ya'll!!! I mean, Caleb told Molly his history without actually TELLING him anything, didn't he. ;) lol
> 
> The story Caleb tells about the stars. I spent like a week researching which constellations are visible in March and April, and then reading about them and taking notes on the ones I thought I could use in interesting ways for this story. I finally landed on Canis Minor because of it's connection to Orion. The story of Icarius was real, I just changed up the spelling and the Gods in the story to fit Exandria. Essentially, Caleb grew up with the story of Icarius, but when Gilmore took him in, as part of his "hunter training" Gil shared the version about Orion and his dog. 
> 
> So when Molly says 'that's the first time you've called me Molly' I realized a few chapters ago that I had subconsciously been using Molly instead of Mollymauk, and had been changing it as I posted, but I may have missed a few. Please assume that Caleb has been using Mollymauk, or Mr. Mollymauk, or Mr. Tealeaf until now.


	14. Out of Retirement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb and Molly continue their slow courting, and Caleb's anxiety ramps up. Fjord called with an update on the case, and Molly needs Caleb's help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what to say about this chapter really. lol Things are picking up again. 
> 
> The view count and kudos number is still going up and that blows my mind, thank you all so much!
> 
> Content Warnings:  
> Caleb and Gil vaguely discussing addiction and withdrawal  
> C1 spoilers regarding Vax (if you read to this point, you should be aware of this spoiler already)  
> Breaking traffic laws

The weekend passed as most weekends did. Caleb busied himself with restocking the shelves, and Nott and Beau studied Nott’s favorite movies. On Sunday, Gilmore called him to check in.

" _Ja_ , her name is Beau, and she's actually not as terrible now that she is corporeal. I think she was just lonely, to be honest. Molly and I are still working on a last name and a way to help her move on. But until then, she is a tenant." Caleb was sitting in the lobby, watching lights flash as cars passed outside.

"I'm glad to hear you're not being haunted anymore, darling. Now, how are things going with that pretty boy of yours?"

Caleb blushed. " _Ja_ , it is progressing, I think. Slowly. I am not quite ready for a lot. He is being kind with me. And... he knows. About Arcadia. Some of it, at least. I haven't yet convinced myself to tell him everything, but he has the basics. And he seems okay with it."

"I'm so happy to hear it. You deserve to find happiness, Caleb." Gilmore sounded sad. Shaun Gilmore was a handsome man, even with the grey creeping into his hair, and could easily find someone to love him. But after losing Vax, Caleb knew Gilmore would never love another. 

"It will take time for me, Gil. I am... I am not accustomed to company, and I question if I am ready. I still have... thoughts, and impulses sometimes." Caleb fiddled with the loose strands of his hoodie sleeve as he sat and talked with his dear friend, the man that quite literally pulled him from the gutter and gave him another chance at life.

"I know. And that's alright; recovery takes time. And you're already doing so well. We're very proud of you, and you know that we are only a call away if you feel you need help. It's not like I have a lot to do, now that you've taken over the business." Gilmore's laugh was calming in more ways than one. 

When Caleb had first gone home with Gilmore, over four years ago now, he had hated that laugh. He'd thought it was condescending and mean. But, over time, after Caleb had finally gotten to the top of the steep, steep hill that was withdrawal, he had started to realize that Gilmore wasn't that kind of man. He had a taste for finer things and enjoyed looking nice, but Gilmore would never put himself over someone else. 

And now that laugh meant home. 

"I am okay for now. I have certainly had lots of distractions. I will tell you if I begin to slip. But I won't... I refuse."

"There's that stubbornness we love." Gilmore's smile was coming through the phone. His pride, his happiness. But also his melancholy. His family had been so close before the accident, and to lose the man he loved, and for two other people to move away soon after? It must be hard. 

Caleb smiled sadly to himself. "It is the same stubbornness you hated, when you tried to teach me anything."

"Ha! True enough. Listen, you get some rest, and call me soon?"

"Of course, _gute nacht_ , Gil."

"Goodnight darling, don't let the gremlins bite."

After ending the call, Caleb happily noticed there was a text from Molly.

21:36 Molly: heyyyy hope im not waking u. just wantd to tell you good night

He typed out a quick reply and continued watching the cars and occasional group of people pass by outside. Sunday wasn't usually a busy party night, but there were still the college kids looking for every excuse to 'live it up'. 

21:41 Caleb: Not sleeping yet. Talking to Gil. How was your day?

  
Caleb's phone buzzed again, and he looked down with a love-struck grin when he read Molly's reply. 

  
21:42 Molly: beter now im talking to u ;)))

21:43 Caleb: You are a flirt. Nott has been teaching Beau about Disney. 

21:43 Molly: DISNEY

21:45 Caleb: Lol. Yes, I believe they have worked their way up to The Lion King. 

21:46 Molly: oh i luv tht movie. 'remembr who u aaaaare' i thnk i cried the frst time i saw it

21:48 Caleb: Same. But probably for different reasons. 

21:48 Molly: ?? anyway. Yash an i have an erly mornng. talk to u tmr?

21:49 Caleb: Of course. Goodnight Mollymauk. 

***

  
Things with Molly were... weird. On Monday and Tuesday, Molly showed up after closing, and they were swept off to the library by their noble yellow steed. They chatted amicably about their days and held hands gently in the cab. 

But other than Molly's usual flirting and their extensive research, there was nothing. No signs of distrust, no intrusive questions, no push to go further, and no mention of their almost kiss the week before. All of which Caleb was extraordinarily grateful for. But it felt... off. Like he was standing on a precipice, waiting to be shoved into a spike-lined pit below. A sort of limbo. 

Caleb had expected Molly to hate him or think him selfish or cowardly when he told him about leaving his previous occupation. And when Molly did not, Caleb had suspected Molly needed time to process and would pull away eventually. But even after four days, Molly had not so much as indicated that anything had changed. They had established a type of routine, helped along by the fact that Beau was no longer breaking things. And Caleb had been apprehensive to fall into it, happy to have some form of normalcy, even if it was only temporary. 

So when Molly showed up Wednesday just before closing, flushed and out of breath from running, to say 'Caleb was distressed' would be to trivialize the anxiety squeezing in his chest. 

The front door banged open, the chimes going off, as Molly stumbled through the threshold. "Caleb..." 

Caleb stood from his stool immediately and moved to Molly's side as the man bent, hands on his knees to catch his breath. Caleb's mind began running, checking the streets through the glass to see if his friend had been chased. "What’s happened?"

"Caleb...." Molly tried again, his eyes a little wild, "Fjord called." He finally met Caleb's worried gaze. "Someone was nearly drowned a few minutes ago, barely escaped. He told me he was going out there to look for the Rusalka by himself. We have to go help him, or he's going to end up in the lake."

Caleb froze. "I.... Molly...." He let go of where his hand had found Molly's shoulder and took a step back. The few customers in the shop had moved to the front to observe the commotion. Caleb pushed his panic and anxiety down for the moment to address them. "I apologize, I will have to be closing early. I assure you, I can give you a discount on your next visit. But something's come up. I'm very sorry. Thank you. Thanks." He closed the door as the customers filed out. 

Molly had taken a seat on the sofa to further catch his breath, and Beau and Nott had come downstairs.

"I know you don't want to hunt anymore, Caleb, but I know nothing about Rusalkas, and Fjord's out there on his own. He's going to end up at the bottom of the lake. I can't let that happen. Please, Caleb...." Molly turned his wide, crimson eyes to him.

Caleb took in Molly's frazzled appearance. With the warming weather, the tiefling had been leaving his coat behind more often than not, his braid had come loose in his frantic run from his own shop a few blocks down, his tank was skewed to the side, and his cheeks were flushed a deep magenta from the exercise. 

"Molly... I don't know if I can do that..." Caleb began rubbing his hands nervously on his jeans as he began pacing. "I... it's dangerous... and you could get hurt... and I can't watch that.... I can't watch someone else.... someone die..." 

"Caleb." Nott stepped up from where she stood to the side. "Caleb, the choice is yours, but you can do this. I've seen you take dawn far scarier, by yourself. Remember the shaft wight? Took you three days of research and 15 minutes to kill it. But the choice is yours. It's always yours." Nott finished by giving Molly a stern look, making it clear that if he pressured Caleb too much, she'd make his life hell. 

"Dude. I don't get the big deal. Like, if something is out there killing people, shouldn't you stop it? Like, hunter or not, isn't that the right thing to do? or something?" Beau was standing behind Nott, her hands in her pockets. 

"I would never make you do this... but I would feel better having you with me... If you're worried about me dying, aren't my chances better with you by my side?" Molly had finally calmed, but his eyes were still desperate, reminding Caleb of the urgency of the situation.

On one hand, he could say yes. Temporarily come out of retirement. Help stop a Rusalka and save a few lives. On the other hand, he could say no. Nott and Molly both said he could. But then Fjord and maybe Molly would be hurt or possibly killed. 

And that final thought made the decision for him. 

"Okay.... okay I will help.... But you follow my instructions, and we do things my way, _ja_?"

Molly stood. "Yes, good, okay. Lets go!" Molly headed to the door, and Caleb stopped him with a hand on his elbow. 

"One moment please... let me gather my things... Do you... do you need a weapon?" Caleb looked over Molly, taking note of his lack of equipment. 

Molly grinned. "Nah. I'm good." He winked at Caleb. 

Beau emitted a gagging sound as Caleb told him to call a cab and dazedly made his way upstairs.

Caleb first went to his closet and pulled out the old, tattered holsters with his spell books and pulled them snuggly over his shoulders. He tugged on his shearling coat to cover his books before he approached the chest at the foot of his bed and unlocked the magic keeping it safe. He opened it and stared into it, hesitating. _What are you doing? You wanted to stop this life... you wanted to be safe... now you are going after a Rusalka because you love someone and he asked....._

Caleb unclenched his fists and knelt to sort through what he would need. 

He knew the Rusalka would be resistant to his fire, but cold would freeze the water in her veins.

Caleb dug through his jewelry and found an amulet of water breathing. His wand was already tattooed behind his ear, his dagger on his wrist. He considered bringing his gun out from the locked case under the bed but thought better of it. He re-locked the chest and made his way back to the stairs.

When he arrived at the bottom of the steps, Molly was pacing in the lobby. Caleb stepped closer, and Molly lifted his gaze from his phone, distress plain in his eyes. "I've been texting Fjord, and he's not replying... he might already be dead... we have to hurry."

" _Ja_ , okay, we will go as soon as the cab is here. I will help you, Molly, but I need you to relax. I need you focused. Can you do that for me?" Caleb held Molly by his shoulders at arms length, forcing Molly to stop pacing, forcing Molly to look at him. 

Molly seemed like he was about to say no, he couldn't. But he took a breath, closed his eyes, and took another breath. When he opened them, he nodded. "Yes Caleb. I can do that. Do you have a plan?"

Caleb held on a moment longer than purely necessary, but he let his hands slide down Molly's lithe, muscular arms before dropping them completely and averting his gaze. He had a limit on eye contact today, it appeared. 

"That depends. The victim that got away. Did they give us any details?" Caleb began a slow pace, trying to recall everything he'd ever read about the creature. Most was in Russian, and his Russian was rudimentary at best. 

Molly watched as Caleb started moving back and forth through the lobby, much slower than he had been. "He didn't give me a lot of info, open investigation and all. But it sounded like it was one of the scientists that work in the dam. They were either coming or going to one of the labs. They run tests on the water and the plant life there. But that's pretty much all he told me."

"Alright. We have a location. She's likely to still be near the dam. Oh, the taxi is here." Caleb turned to Nott as he went over his mental checklist one last time. "Nottlein. Call Gil if we don't come back in four hours." He held her gaze, and Nott nodded once, her expression serious. 

"Come back safe," she said as the two men rushed out the door. Nott locked the door behind them and watched through the window as they climbed into the taxi. She could feel Beau standing behind her. 

"I don't get it. Like, does he not want to save people or something?" Nott turned on Beau, the taller woman watching out the window with her hands in her pockets, relaxed. Nott glared at her before using her ethereal abilities to disappear and reappear upstairs near the couch. Beau appeared shortly after. "What?"

"It's not that he doesn't want to save people...." Nott concentrated and pressed the power button on the remote that Caleb was always so careful to leave facing the television. 

"Then what is it?" Beau plopped onto the couch and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table, crossing them, seeming completely at home. 

Nott was trying to concentrate on flipping channels, and between that and trying to answer Beau, her face scrunched up in concentration. "It's hard to explain to someone who wasn't there at the beginning, Beau.... Caleb's been through a lot. He's already saved a ton of people. And sure, he could keep doing it. But it comes down to, 'why is it his responsibility?' There are other hunters in the world. Why can't he have a little safety? Pike always says, 'it's okay to want something. It's okay to be selfish sometimes.' It took him a long time to get to a point where he thought it was okay to step back and want something for himself. And this is what he wants. Peace." Nott finally found the Syfy channel, who was having a Ghost Hunter's marathon. She settled into the couch next to Beau, who groaned when she realized what Nott had stopped on. 

"Don't you think it's a little ironic, two dead people watching Ghost Hunters?" Beau was trying to act uncaring, but Nott could tell her attention was already invested in the screen. 

"Nah. It's philosophically whimsical. Now hush." They both fell into silence as they were absorbed into the show. 

  
****

  
Caleb crawled into the taxi first, sliding across the seats so Molly could step in after. 

"It's a little early for your library visit, isn't it?" Caleb looked up to the cab driver, who had half turned towards the back seat. It took Caleb entirely too long to realize it was the same driver that ferried them to the library most nights. 

"Oh uh, _ja_. We are actually going to Lady Bird Lake, to the dam. It is kind of urgent, if you know any shortcuts. _Bitte_." 

"Oh sure." The driver turned back to the road and started looking for a chance to pull back onto the road. "There's a few ways to avoid traffic. How urgent?"

The man spoke with a middle eastern accent, but his English was near perfect. He was a part of Caleb's routine that Caleb hadn't even realized was so important. The familiar face and voice helped calm Caleb's racing heart. "Could be considered life and death, if you want to get technical."

"Got it." The man winked into the rear view mirror, and Caleb could feel the vehicle pick up speed. 

With that taken care of, Caleb started recounting the information. "Legends say that one may see Rusalkas combing their hair or crafting flower garlands near the water. They are often uncovered as they go about naked or poorly dressed in white gowns; their long hair sometimes green because of the algae and weeds in which they are exposed to. Also their skin may be greenish."

Molly was trying to stay calm in the seat next to Caleb, but he couldn't help but check his phone for messages from Fjord every few seconds, his heart skipping a beat every time he didn't see one. "That's all great information, dear. But how do we stop it? You said we can't kill it, so what do we do?" He was trying to keep the worry from his tone. 

"Ah. Sorry. We can’t kill her, per se. But we can discorperate her. She'll just come back after a short time. She's resistant to fire, but ice is a weakness. Flirting too; if she thinks she can get you near the water, she'll play nice, let you get close, put you under a spell, and then drown you. So sometimes flirting with her can trick her into thinking you are already charmed, but that can be dangerous. If she realizes, it makes it even easier for her to charm you. So... last resort, _ja_?"

"Flirting is her weakness? And you're saying I'm not allowed to use my expertise?" Molly put forth the most salacious smirk he could manage under the current circumstances. It earned him a small smile from his human companion. 

" _Nien_ , Mollymauk. Hopefully we can get Fjord out or her down before it comes to such measures. Here, put this on. It will give you a few minutes of air if she drags you under." Caleb handed him the amulet of water breathing and looked Molly over, once again noting his lack of armaments. "I would feel better about this if you had some kind of weapon."

"Hush, dear. I've got a little something up my sleeve." Molly wiggled his fingers, and for a moment Caleb swore he saw a flicker of black arcane energy at Molly's fingertips, and Caleb scowled at him. 

  
***

  
The taxi arrived in nearly half the time it took on their first trip to the lake, thanks to the driver's quick thinking and maybe a few broken laws; he just wouldn't mention it to Fjord when they found him. They were in a different part of the park, just outside a security gate that read "No Unauthorized Personnel", and saw Fjord's old, red Lariat parked to the side of the entrance. Their driver, Daví, waved to them as they climbed the gate. 

"First priority, get Fjord and get out. Do not go looking for trouble." Caleb began cautiously approaching the dam control building, his senses heightened as the adrenaline started to flow. He could just barely see the structure through the trees and hear the rushing water from where it flowed out of the flood gates. 

The sun was beginning to set, but the climbing spring temperature and the humidity mixed with the sounds of cicadas and shadows from the trees created the illusion of a hot, suffocating atmosphere. 

"You know," Molly spoke. "You keep saying you're worried about me, even gave me this fancy amulet. But I don't see you with any weapons. You went upstairs and came down with your coat, which is unwarranted I might add. You're in Texas now, dear, and it's well on its way to a triple-digit summer." Molly was teasing Caleb in his own unease, sure. But he really was worried. Molly had weapons hidden away, but Caleb? He had a coat. 

Caleb tapped his temple, "I am not unarmed." Molly stopped in his tracks, a little caught off guard as Caleb continued a few feet before realizing he was alone and turned around. " _Was_?"

"You're kidding, right? You do have something to defend yourself, right?" Molly's eyes were blown wide. Maybe asking a retired hunter for help was a bad idea, let alone the one he thinks he might be in love with. 

Caleb's reply was a soft smile as he continued the hike to the building up ahead. Molly wasn't sure what else to say, so he continued after him, planning to keep a close eye on Caleb if he could. 

Caleb slowed to a stop about 10 feet from the door, and Molly nearly ran into him. Molly took a step to the side to look at what Caleb was staring at and realized the door was partially ajar. Molly carefully stepped closer and stooped down. The door had a security badge reader, but there was a Half-orc sized boot print just under the handle, and the door frame was damaged. The ground outside and the floor inside were both coated with water. 

Suddenly, images flashed into Molly's mind. _Fjord running through the wooded area surrounding this building, gun in one hand, sword in the other. He saw the back of a young girl liquefy and slide in under this door. He saw Fjord struggling to open the door before kicking it open._ Molly blinked, and he was back, crouched near the door.

Molly turned his head to Caleb, "Looks like he followed her in there. Are you ready?" Molly stood when Caleb nodded and turned his attention back to the door. He stood to one side and cautiously pushed the door open further. He glanced in to see a long hall with a few doors. Pipes in the ceiling dripped, and the lights flickered. "Fjord?" He stage whispered, hoping his friend was in earshot of the door. 

He looked at Caleb again when there was no answer. Caleb was now holding a Scooby-Doo pencil. Molly had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Molly called to the Moonweaver, _watch over us as today_... Then he reached into the empty space between realms, searching for the touch of his Goddess, and felt her warmth and her hand guiding him in the dark space. When her touch pulled away, he closed his hand to find cool metal in his palm. He smiled at Caleb, watching the man's reaction as he tugged. There was a small flash of dark energy, and suddenly he was holding the golden hilt of his favorite weapon, Summer's Dance. 

Caleb stared at the sword for a solid moment as if he wanted to examine it. Then he looked up to meet Molly's eyes, raising his eyebrow out of curiosity. "For the sake of your friend, I will hold my questions until later, _ja_?"

With another smirk, Molly stepped into the building, ready to save his friend and protect the man he loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... did I accidentally make Molly a warlock? It was not intentional, but it seems that way, huh? The materializing the sword was actually an ability from Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles, the main character has like a pocket dimension he can store things in. Also I guess it's kinda like Caleb's vault, or even Essek's pocket he keeps his book in. Hmm.... I suppose you can interpret in any of these ways, but for stats purposes, Molly is a Blood Hunter, and only a Blood Hunter. I just thought about how the Moonweaver is the goddess of nighttime, illusions and misdirection and it made sense that he has like dark, sparkly, galaxy color magic, and materialize his sword. 
> 
> Warnings for the next chapter (mild spoilers):  
> Combat is coming. Descriptions of wounds, fighting actions, the monster that has corpse like qualities, and blood loss. Also someone getting stabbed, and another person getting burned pretty bad.


	15. These Wounds Wont Seem to Heal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Caleb and Molly pursuit Fjord after the creature. Will they find him in time? Will they make it out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHHHHHH! We're almost done! After this is just one chapter, and then the epilogue! I'm gonna cry when I finish this up! 
> 
> This chapter, featuring combat and blood and DRAMA! 
> 
> So for real, this chapter had me stuck for literal months. I rolled for perception checks, I rolled for dex when they had to cross the wet floor, and Caleb fails at one point, so enjoy the consequences. I also rolled for stealth and sleight of hand in some places. I rolled for most of the attacks unless I needed something specific to happen. 
> 
> You can see the battle map here:  
> https://tearfulsolace.tumblr.com/post/622174655449546752/here-is-the-battle-map-from-chapter-15-of
> 
> Content warnings(spoilers at the end of this list):  
> Horror movie-like atmosphere  
> no 'wet floor' sign  
> DND style combat  
> canon-typical violence  
> descriptions of wounds and blood  
> head wound  
> flashbacks  
> nightmare  
> blood loss  
> (Spoiler) Ep 26 adjacent wounds. Everybody lives.

Molly stepped forward, careful to keep his footing on the slick concrete. He could feel more than hear Caleb stepping up behind him. He cautiously peered down the hall. The flickering fluorescent lights caused shadows to move menacingly in his peripherals. Not for the first time, he thanked the Moonweaver that he’d been born with dark vision. 

Molly kept to the right side of the hallway, moving along the walls. Across the hall, the first door was closed. And as he approached, he could see a plaque that read 'Plant Life Testing'. Spying a small window in the door, he stepped a little closer and peeked into the room. He saw tanks lining the walls and papers spread on a desk. But otherwise, the room seemed to be dark and empty. 

They moved on, passing a second door that led to the same room. And finally, he came across a door on his side of the hallway, slightly ajar. He pushed it further open and peered in. This room was an office of some kind, with a few desks. Not able to see if anyone was hiding under the desks from the doorway, Molly crept into the room, Caleb close behind him. 

After a quick pass, it was clear that there were no dead or dying half-orc in need of rescue there, and Molly cautiously moved back into the hall. 

Across the way was another door that was labeled 'Control Room' and was firmly locked when Molly tried the handle. With no damage or boot prints, Molly discerned that he was unlikely to find Fjord in there. Caleb must have agreed, as he didn't make a move to open it when Molly moved on. 

Beyond the control room, the hall widened into a small break room before narrowing back to a sinister tunnel of shadows and leaking pipes. Molly was trying to peer around the corner into the break room when he heard rubber on wet concrete and Caleb quietly cursing in a language he didn't understand. 

_ "Scheiße, Scheiße! Es tut mir leid." _ Caleb was wide eyed with his arms thrown out to catch himself from falling. As Molly was turning back to face the unexplored hallway, he heard a shrill laugh rise up and echo through the dam. 

A moment after they heard the piercing noise, a spike of pain tore through his head, but it was gone nearly as quickly as it came. "I think she knows we're here now.... Sorry...." Caleb had taken a defensive stance, holding the pencil like a gun, and Molly swore he saw it glowing faintly. 

"What in the hells was that?" Molly took a position similar to Caleb, both hands on the hilt of his sword in front of him as he moved to the center of the walkway to give himself space to swing. 

"I don't know... but I think it was meant to stun us. Are you alright?" 

"Yeah, you?" Molly said over his shoulder. Instead of answering Caleb's thin hand appeared at the corner of his view and pointed down the opposite hall. There stood a slight, young girl, wearing a pale green dress with flowers along the hem. She appeared to be silently crying, and Molly's first instinct was to tell her to get out to safety. But then he looked closer. 

The green was pond scum staining the delicate fabric of her dress, the flowers were bits of algae stuck to her from her time submerged in the lake. Her tears were water running down her face and dripping from her hair. 

"Do not look her in the eyes, Mollymauk. Detective?! Can you hear us?" The Rusalka stared at them from the other hallway but didn't make any moves. "Please make a noise if you are not dead!"

All was silent except for the dripping and the faint buzz from the old fluorescent lights. 

"You need something, miss?" Molly called to the Rusalka, stepping toward it. He felt Caleb tug on the back of his shirt but continued forward. He needed to look in those other rooms for Fjord.  _ Or Fjord's body.....  _ He shook the thought from his head before it took root. He stopped when he was just past the center of the break room. The floor from there forward was completely flooded, as if a pipe or tank had been broken, and even with his balance and dexterity, he would likely fall on his ass. 

The Rusalka stood barely thirty feet in front of them now, Caleb still silent at his back. 

The rusalka began muttering, and her hands moved so subtly that he almost missed it. "Caleb, she's casting!" Molly turned and, with one arm around Caleb, dove them to the ground. Molly's other shoulder, the one not around Caleb, hit hard enough that he nearly lost the grip on his sword. Looking back, the space they had been standing a moment before was now filled with toxic green fumes that were quickly dispersing. Caleb coughed next to him. 

"Up, up. Come on, Mister Caleb." Molly struggled to his feet as quickly as he could and refocused his attention where the Rusalka had been. She was gone. "Oh, that's not great...."

"Move..." Caleb's voice was rough from the gas, but at least he was on his feet, stumbling as he pointed down the hall where the Rusalka had been. "Go, while she's gone."

They moved in unison, the water slowing their progress as they made it to the first door on the right. This door was ajar, and Molly pushed in, their attempt at stealth long abandoned. The water flooding the halls was coming from this room. The walls were lined with tanks that should have been filled with water for various scientific tests. Instead, the tanks lights were flickering, and the water meant to be inside of them was pooled on the floor and into the hall. And on the ground on the far corner, underneath where the glass had busted open, was the very still body of the detective. 

Caleb decided that if the detective was not dead, he probably would wish he was in the morning. He had a gash across his forehead, disappearing into his hairline so Caleb couldn't be sure how bad it was. But the water surrounding him was tinted with the half-orc's blood. Caleb stayed posted near the door while Molly rushed forward to his friend. 

"He's alive... Oh thank the Weaver...." Molly knelt next to the man, tapping his face, "Fjord, come on buddy. Let's get out of here."

"Quickly, Mollymauk... she will be back. She won't like unfinished busin--" Caleb had faced into the room to tell Molly to hurry. But when he turned to look back out the door, he was met by a gruesome sight. The Rusalka was not more than a foot away from him, face to face. He could smell the rot from her. He could see the cloudy white eyes of death in her sockets. 

Then he felt her claws scrape across his chest before he could do anything to stop it. He felt his shirt slick with blood as he stumbled backwards in shock. 

Molly was by his side in a flash, swinging his golden sword in an arc towards the Rusulka's head. The creature screeched and backed away, giving Caleb room to react. Using his pencil, he let out a blast of ice cold Chromatic Orb, and it slammed into the Rusulka's chest, leaving behind a layer of frost that quickly melted away with the leaking water on her body. 

"Get Fjord; I'll hold her off of you!" Molly moved to block the hallway. As he did so, Caleb watched as Molly dragged the sword along the base of his neck, drawing blood from the cut. At first Caleb thought it must have been a clumsy movement of a sword Molly wasn't used to wielding, and he began preparing a lecture in blade safety for later. But the tiefling didn't flinch, didn't indicate he had even noticed the slice in his skin. And Caleb watched as the blade pulled away. Fascinated, as if in slow motion, as the blood did not flow downward across lilac skin. Instead, it seemed to defy gravity, moving on its own accord to coat the golden metal, a stream of it caught between skin and sword. And where the blood touched metal, crimson ice sprouted in its place. 

Caleb had only read of such things in his history books, researching them in college. Such powers were meant to be ridiculous legends, merely rumors. But he watched as Molly and the Rusalka began trading blows, and the bleeding in Molly's neck seemed to stop despite the still open wound glistening in the flickering lights. And suddenly, the deep scars on Molly's neck made sense.  _ Blood magic.... _

Thoughts began swirling through Caleb's head. Things he hadn't thought of in years sprang forward, memories he refused to acknowledge. Papers due, late nights on blacklist websites, restricted archives, illicit substances…..  _ "This is all you found? You were down there for two weeks Bren... You've disappoin--" _

Precious moments had passed, and Caleb was losing his chance to get Fjord to safety.

Shaking off the daze that had begun creeping in the edges of his vision, he tucked his pencil into his belt and went to Fjord's aid. The man was slowly blinking his eyes as if dazed.  _ "Komm schon, mein Freund.  _ Up we go...." 

"Mr. Widowgast..? You shouldn't be here.... How did..." Caleb swung Fjord’s arm over his shoulder and took most of the man's weight as he slowly started their way to the door. The water made things more difficult when you had a fully grown, muscled man on your shoulder. 

"Focus. On your feet, detective..." Caleb could hear the Rusulka's angered screeches and Molly's grunts as he slashed and ducked.  _ He could die back there.... Why are you leaving him? You do not know this Fjord man, Molly is more important....  _

Caleb kept his feet moving, knowing that Molly would not forgive him if he left Fjord to be killed, knowing that this is why they had come here in the first place. 

Fjord was slowly becoming more lucid, more sturdy as they made their way further from the fight. "Why are you here? How..."

Fjord's weight was now only half on him as the half-orc finally seemed to get his feet under himself, making their trek a little easier. "Mollymauk told me you were being a fool, and we came to save you. Can you stand?" They were near the end of the hall now, so close to the door and the waning sunlight that filtered in through the crack they had left after entering. 

Despite the blood streaming into his eyes, the intense look the man turned onto Caleb made him feel unsettled. "And why would Molly get the bookstore owner to help him find me?" Fjord’s voice suggested that he was trying to puzzle something together, but he was also trying to look over his shoulder to the sounds, no doubt aware that his friend was fighting what he could not. 

Knowing that Fjord had fallen to this thing made Caleb's anxiety spike again.  _ I need to be helping... _ "Can you stand, detective?" Caleb forced out the repeated question between clenched teeth. Molly was running out of time, and luck. 

When they got to the end of the hall, Fjord untangled himself from Caleb without being told and used the wall to balance himself, "go get Molly; I can make it outside...." Looking at him now, Caleb highly doubted he could. Fjord's clothes were soaked through and stained a deep maroon from the bloody water. He swayed on his feet as his head wound continued to bleed, and he held his abdomen as if he had broken ribs. 

But Caleb didn't need to be told twice. He turned back to the fight and started off towards the flurry of sword and claws that was Molly and the creature. However, he didn't have time to think about the sweat beading on Molly's forehead, he didn't have time to appreciate the dexterity he was using to fight in such a confined space, the speed that he slashed with. He didn't have time, because when he turned he realized that it had gotten eerily quiet from the other side of the dam. 

Molly stood frozen, sword arm raised, blade still coated in ice. The Rusalka not barely five feet in front of him with her hand outstretched. It took Caleb too long to recognize what was happening. It took a breath too long for him to call out to Mollymauk. It took a heartbeat too long for him to surge himself forward. The distance too far to stop Molly's shaking hand from turning the glistening sword towards himself, and plunging it into his own chest.

"MOLLY!!!!" 

The golden metal piercing into Molly's chest was in slow motion for Caleb. He rushed forward, 180 feet became 150, became 120. Moving closer, Caleb watched the Rusalka's charm fade from Molly's eyes as the pain racked through his body. Molly's gaze slowly turned to Caleb in a daze. At 90 feet Caleb raised his hands, wand forgotten. 

He let out a heart wrenching scream as Molly's body crumpled into the shallow water, giving him a clearer view of the Rusalka. 

The Rusalka, still focused on her victim, wasn't fast enough to evade the fiery pain that Caleb released on her. Her entire body became engulfed in flames, and even her resistance to fire could not save her from the agony of burning while Caleb stalked towards her. She screamed and wailed, and for a moment Caleb hesitated, his mind threatening to throw him into another time, another place. The sound was entirely too human for a creature to make. But then Caleb caught a glimpse of purple at her feet, and he renewed his onslaught and pulsed the fire again and again and again. The creature was immobilized in pain, unable to bat out the fire fast enough, unable to run, unable to escape. It wasn't until Caleb was close enough to feel the heat along his own skin that he realized how close he'd gotten. He pulsed one last time as the Rusalka slowly fell apart, her body melting into water and joining the ever growing puddle on the floor. 

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was surely only seconds, Caleb collapsed to his knees, his vision taking him to a place far away. 

_ Screaming. She was screaming. And he had burned her. He had done this. But he couldn't go to her without incurring the wrath of the professor.  _

_ "Very good Bren. But you're learning much too slowly. I need you performing at twice this level by the end of the semester. Astrid, I thought you were better than this." The professor was putting on his coat, getting ready to leave the training room. His face was blank, neutral, as if he hadn't just pitted two of his students against each other. _

_ "But profes--" _

_ "There's no room for excuses, Bren. You're a smart boy; find a way." He left, and the moment the door closed, Bren ran to Astrid, who was gritting through the pain. Tears stained her pale face.  _

_ "Es tut mir leid, lieb... Es tut mir leid..." _

There was a shaking hand on his thigh, and he looked down, not to see Astrid, but to see the pale, bloody hand of Mollymauk. Caleb realized he hadn't been breathing and took a sharp breath to ease the burning in his lungs. His hand found Molly's as he started moving again. "Mollymauk..." He felt the tiefling's weak pulse through his wrist. 

Molly had seen better days. The Rusalka had scratched him up pretty badly before charming him into impaling himself with his own sword. A sword that was still embedded in his chest. But now that Caleb was closer, he could see that it was a little too low to hit his heart. Relief temporarily washed through him; there was still time as long as Molly didn't bleed out. 

"Hold on  _ liebling _ , this may hurt. Please.... just hold on...." Caleb gripped the hilt of Molly's sword and braced himself to pull, but Molly's weak grip on his wrist stopped him. 

"Wait...." Molly's voice was a rough whisper, and Caleb heard a wet gurgling in the back of the man's throat when he spoke. Molly gripped the hilt himself and a few seconds later the sword disappeared in a swirl of black, sparkling magic. The sword no longer plugged the wound, and it began to bleed profusely. Caleb knew he didn't have much time. 

"Just hold on, Molly." He put his hand over the gaping hole with one hand and began drawing arcane sigils with the other. Ever so slowly, Caleb became aware of a burning, tearing sensation in his own chest, growing more and more intense as he felt his own skin tear open and his already ruined shirt grow sticky with blood again. He forced himself to focus through the pain and complete the incantation. 

When he removed his hand, Molly's chest wound was significantly less severe but would still need a cleric, and soon. The man was unconscious in his arms. Biting his own tongue against their now shared pain, he slid his arms under Molly and did his best at a bridal carry. 

Going towards the exit, he saw that Fjord was no longer in the doorway, so he must've made it outside after all. 

Caleb stumbled into the setting sun, his own blood loss now weakening him, and he fell to his knees, nearly dropping Mollymauk. He lay down in the grass next to the tiefling, head spinning, and breathed in the fresh air, watching the trees sway above him. He knew he needed to keep moving; neither of them were out of danger of bleeding out, including Fjord, wherever he had gone off to. But Caleb just couldn't make himself stand. He felt his eyes slowly closing. He fought to stay awake, but his body said no, and he felt himself drift off, knowing that his failure would cost them both their lives.

****

_ "Have you ever heard of blood magic, Bren?" Bren was in the professor's office, long after hours. The great Professor Trent Ikithon sat behind his desk, his class’ papers spread around him for grading.  _

_ "No sir. Is that something you need me to research?" Bren had a chemistry paper due in two days and a final in his Ancient Celestial class, but if Ikithon needed something, he'd do it.  _

_ "Yes, actually. From this point until further notice, I want you to research Xhorhasian blood magic. It could be beneficial to our work here. Can you handle that?" The cold eyes of Trent Ikithon turned to Bren. He was about to answer when suddenly the bottom of Trent's robes were on fire. They were burning.  _

_ Bren stood, backing away. He tried to call out, to warn the professor, but nothing came out of his mouth. Instead, he breathed in and choked on ashes and smoke.  _

_ "Is there a problem, boy?" Trent stood from his desk, and his eyes bore into Bren's soul. He didn't seem to notice the fire burning up the sleeves of his robes and licking at his hair.  _

_ Bren looked around desperately, noticing now that the fire had spread to his own hands. Or did it start from his hands? _

_ Bren tried to scream for help. Surely someone would hear him.  _

_ ***** _

Caleb woke suddenly, screaming. It startled Molly from where he had been sitting near him. And from where he had been holding Caleb's hand, fire flared for a split second, burning Molly's palm. Luckily, his fire-resistance took most of the pain, or he might've needed more healing. 

The sun had long ago gone below the horizon, leaving very little light to see by. Molly had come to only moments before with Jester, a sweet blue tiefling wearing cupcake pajama pants and a frilly pink shirt, kneeling over him. He had met her a few times at Caddy's shop. If you asked Jester, she was Fjord's girlfriend. But if you were Fjord, you were oblivious to what fancy dinners and 'Netflix and Chill' actually meant. 

Apparently Fjord had hobbled his way out to his truck on his own and called for Jester's assistance. She'd arrived while Caleb and Molly were taking their dirt naps, healed Fjord while berating him for being so foolish, then healed Molly and now Caleb. 

"Shhh shh, darling. We're alright now. You got us out." Molly brushed some of Caleb's wet hair out of his face. Caleb's eyes searched frantically in the dark before he focused up into Molly's face. 

"Mollymauk...."

"Hi, mister Cay-leb. Didn't I tell you not to get hurt again? It's bad for your health." Jester was standing now, dusting off the knees of her pajamas and looking down at the two men. 

Molly helped Caleb up into a sitting position, and the man stared blankly at Jester for a moment before recognition seemed to set in. "Actually, you told me not to get shot, Miss Jester. As it appears here, I have been stabbed."

"You were!" Jester reached out her hands to help them both stand. She tugged them upright without even struggling. "In fact, your stab wound looked an awful lot like Molly's. Just not so deep. Now, how'd that happen?" Her purple eyes watched Caleb as he adjusted to being upright again. 

Molly still felt a bit unsteady on his own feet, so he needed Jester's help to walk. "Yeah, Mister Caleb, how  _ did  _ that happen?" He observed the human as they all stumbled further down the path to where Fjord's truck had been left. A pink VW bug was parked haphazardly behind it, presumably Jester's car. 

Caleb fidgeted with the sleeve of his coat. His eyes darted around the wooded area as if he would find an answer out in the darkness. "I, um..." He began simultaneously fumbling over an answer and his feet, but Molly could tell how uncomfortable he seemed. 

"Actually, it doesn't really matter. Jester, dear. Thank you so much for coming to our rescue. And look at those bottoms! Where did you get those?"

And just like that, Jester's attention was on him and off of Caleb. Caleb met Molly's eyes briefly and gave a small, pained but grateful smile. 

Molly had questions, but they could wait until they were clean and dry. He was just happy that his friends were all alive for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dubious translation of DND mechanics. I am well aware that this is not how Charm works. But STORY OVER RULES. 
> 
> So.. that was a lot of um...... drama? lol oops? More Caleb flashbacks, Molly magic, Molly's Charm? AHHH. Not they have a LOT to talk about, huh?


	16. Ask to be Unbroken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stumbling to the shop after their brush with death, Caleb decides maybe it's time to talk. Molly makes a bold decision and Caleb doesn't mind as much as he thought he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys. This is it. This is the end. I have a very short epilogue coming soon. I am so happy that this has gone over so well. 
> 
> Strap in for this one, peeps. It's an important one. For more than one reason. ;) 
> 
> Content Warnings:   
> mentions of blood  
> wound cleaning (not detailed, just wiping blood)  
> Honestly, this chapter is mostly talking. Mostly. ;)

After much convincing, Jester agreed to drop Molly and Caleb off at the bookstore and then took Fjord to the hospital. 

Jester had to help them out of the tiny back seat, with Fjord passed out against the window in the front. Molly and Caleb leaned on each other, making their way to the door. Caleb heard it unlock from the inside, so he took his least bloody hand and pushed the door open. Molly was silent against his side as they both stumbled over the threshold. The near-full-body contact in most cases would have been too much. But for now, it was welcome, a reassurance that Molly was alive. That Caleb was alive…

He barely had the door kicked shut behind them before Nott bombarded them. 

"Caleb! What happened? Are you alright? Should I call Gil? Who was that in the hideous pink thing? Is the Rusalka dead? How were you stabbed? Are you still blee--"

" _ Nott-lien _ ..  _ Bitte _ ..." His own mind raced with the answers to her questions as well as the questions he could feel radiating off of the man beside him, considering the most important answers first. His body screamed at him to stop moving, but he didn't want either of them to get blood in the lobby so soon after replacing the carpet. 

The stairs were slow going. Each step gave birth to a new pinch of pain in both of their chests as they ascended. 

After some painful maneuvering, they found themselves with Molly piled on the sofa, listing to the side as Caleb gingerly filled a bowl with warm water and dug out gauze from the first aid kit under his sink. 

Now that Nott had stopped chattering and instead paced back and forth behind the couch, the silence in the room could've been cut with something like a mystical golden sword that disappears and reappears.... 

"Caleb..." Molly began, his voice a little tired. 

"I know." Caleb knew what Molly was going to ask, but he wasn't sure that he was ready to answer. 

"And what is it you suppose you know, Mr. Caleb?" Molly tried to joke, but he tensed up when Caleb brushed the wet rag against a sore spot on his chest.

Caleb was silent as he continued to wipe away the blood to reveal a now barely bleeding lesion that looked more like a cut than a stab wound. "You wish to know who I really am… Why.... how I can do the things I do...." Caleb's hands shook. 

Molly's warm hands, soft yet calloused from his weapon, wrapped around the hand Caleb had been using to clean his chest. His hands were shaking too, but from loss of blood, instead of anxiety. "You used arcane magic."

"You summoned a sword from the aether," Caleb countered. 

The silence stretched into the apartment. Caleb avoided eye contact, instead choosing to focus on the warmth around his fingers.

Finally, Nott broke the stillness, "Okay, but what _happened_?!"

Caleb jolted, having forgotten that his friend had been patiently awaiting answers. He turned away from Molly, gently taking his hand back to put the rag into the bowl and the bowl on the coffee table. 

Glancing towards Nott, he saw Beau a few feet behind, pretending not to be interested. "Fjord did indeed find and foolishly give chase to the Rusalka, following her to the dam control building. It appears that they struggled and she bashed him headfirst into a water tank. We must have arrived just after, otherwise, he would have been dead."

Molly struggled to sit up straighter but let Caleb continue in his low, detached tone. Concerning as it was, Molly didn't have much energy to try to bring the mood up. And far too many questions than he was willing to let on. 

"We tried to go in quietly, but I...  _ verdammt _ ... I slipped... We found Fjord, and when I was telling Molly to get him out, she slashed at me. And Molly..." Caleb's crystal blues glanced in his direction, and he answered with a small smile before the human's gaze dropped away. "He jumped in front of me and distracted her long enough that I could get Fjord to the door. But when I turned back..." Caleb's jaw and fists clenched, and he paused in his retelling. 

"The bitch had me, Nott." Molly concluded. "She smiled at me, and then the next thing I know, my own sword was buried in my chest and Caleb was storming towards us. And fire." Molly watched Caleb as he told the end of the story. "I remember fire."

"But if Molly's the one that got filled with daylight, what's with that?" Beau stepped forward, pointing to the wound on Caleb's chest through the man's slashed shirt that matched his own. 

Caleb's breath hitched, his eyes far away, somewhere not there. "I am not the man you think I am…."

"I don't care about your past,” Molly insisted. “I care about you. And that it's my fault you were even there in the first place. How'd you end up sharing my wound?" Three pairs of eyes trained on Caleb. 

Caleb shifted uncomfortably. 

"He doesn't have to say anything he doesn't want to. Caleb, you don't owe him anything." Nott was fierce and a little frightening when she spoke. 

Molly shared a sharp look with Nott that quickly shut her up. “I know he doesn’t owe me anything.” Looking back to Caleb, his expression softened, “If it makes you feel better, I’ll answer the questions I know you still have about me. Gustav says I have a rare form of magic. Blood magic. That’s how I do what I do. I don’t know how or why I have these abilities. I can’t remember. But I know that my psychic abilities come from my connection to my Goddess, leftover from when I died and was touched, however briefly, by the divine. One of her specialties.” He wiggled his fingers, and the same black and gold magic weaved around his fingertips.

There was silence for a moment while he let Caleb process his albeit limited information dump, and Molly let his hand drop to his lap. “You still don’t owe me anything. But I would like to understand.”

"No, it's okay. I..." Caleb turned toward Molly, face to face. "I thought I could leave it all behind, run away from my past. Just hide myself away. But I see, now, that this is just what I'm meant to do...." Caleb paused to take a slow breath. "I... It's probably easier to show you...."

Caleb stood from his place on the sofa and moved until he was standing a few feet directly in front of Mollymauk. He shucked his now bloody coat and placed it on the table next to the bowl of crimson water. Underneath, Molly saw for the first time a set of holsters holding two very used books. Caleb held one hand out in front of him, palm up, "I am sorry I have lied to you."

Before Molly could ask what he meant, Caleb's hand began to glow, several soft lights in differing colors emerged from his palm. The little motes began weaving in the air around them, spinning and dancing. Molly watched in amazement, following them as they lit up Caleb's hair in different colors. 

A few moments later, a soft tune began. Molly vaguely recognized it but was too busy trying to figure out the source to pinpoint where he had heard it. His slow search around the room was interrupted by Frumpkin, Caleb's shop cat, materializing on his lap, causing him to gasp in surprise. 

"When I was eleven, my parents took me to the Museum of Magical History in South Carolina." Caleb began speaking softly, as if his voice might disturb the lights or music. "The largest repository for arcane artifacts and historical knowledge." One of the floating lights came down, and Caleb held it gently in his hand. "I was fascinated by the concept of the arcane. I grew up reading every book I could find on the subject. Hours in libraries and bookstores." 

Caleb paused to watch the lights. He moved some of them closer to Molly, and Frumpkin pawed at them as they passed. "When I was in high school, I accidentally discovered I had some arcane abilities of my own.... And that opened doors for me. University doors….” Caleb's voice fell even lower then, which Molly hadn’t thought possible. Caleb pulled all of the little motes of light together, and they formed the softly glowing shape of a cat. It proceeded to hop around the little coffee table, being chased by Frumpkin, who had hopped down from Molly’s lap. 

After a quiet moment where they all watched the cats chase each other, Caleb spoke again. "Life Transference. That is how I came to share your wound. You were dying, Mollymauk." Caleb's intense ice-blue eyes met Molly's at that moment, the light spell forgotten and winking out, leaving Frumpkin a little miffed. The music faded. "You were dying, and I could not stand it. I... I don't know what we have, yet, but I want it to continue, and I cannot fathom a world where you died on that floor." 

"That explains a few things...” Molly spoke softly, matching Caleb's volume. “Why the wand? Why hide your magic?”

Caleb pulled the wand from the waist of his jeans and turned it over in his fingers. “Being a wizard brings attention to you. It’s easier if people just think you have a magical item or two…” 

"I thought you were cursed, you know. You have magic in your blood, under your skin. I can feel it. I have since the moment I saw you." Molly struggled up to a sitting position, ignoring the sounds of protest from Caleb and Nott. Warmth bloomed in Molly's chest, and not just from his injury. Pure adoration and... love? Was that love? All he knew was that he needed to kiss this brilliant, broken man in front of him. 

Molly pushed off from the arm of the couch to stand eye to eye with his human - his wizard? Caleb had to steady him as he swayed in place, and they now stood holding onto each other's arms for support, grounding each other: pulling Caleb back into the present from the place in his head where he had retreated and keeping Molly upright. 

"I don't care what you are or where you come from. I will keep telling you as many times as it takes for you to believe me. I just know that I care about you too, Caleb. And I want you to know that I will never push you to do or say anything you're not ready for. But I'd very much like to kiss you now, if that's alright?" 

A moment of confusion passed over Caleb's face before he schooled it into a soft expression that Molly hadn't seen him have before. 

"I would like that very much, Mr. Mollymauk."

And then they were kissing. Caleb's lips were warm and chapped, but they were soft. The world around them melted away, the ache in his chest disappeared, and it was just them, Caleb and Molly, clinging desperately onto each other as if they were scared to drift apart. 

Their kiss was gentle and short, but it held so many unspoken things that Molly felt that he might burst. He reluctantly parted their lips and leaned his forehead against Caleb's, their noses barely touching. 

"You are beautiful, Mr. Caleb. Stunning." Molly felt light-headed and a little wobbly. "Now, I think I need to lie down...." Molly's knees buckled from under him. 

Caleb caught the man before his knees hit the ground. "It's alright, Molly. I've got you." Caleb did his best to help the tiefling back to his feet and into his own bedroom. 

Molly was barely conscious when he felt himself lowered onto a soft mattress. And even through his delirium caused by blood loss and their shared kiss, he swore he heard Caleb whisper, “I’ve always got you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THEY KISSED! This whole fic was just an excuse to get them to kiss! If anyone wants to discuss this fic, please find me on   
> twitter @TearfulSolace   
> Tumblr tearfulsolace   
> tiktok tearful.solace (I'm a yasha cosplayer there)  
> discord TearfulSolace#2228  
> (you see a pattern here? lol I'm tearfulsolace everywhere) 
> 
> You may have noticed that there are a few plot points that have not been resolved. Hmm, odd. Stay tuned for an announcement with my epilogue to find out why. <3


	17. Epilogue: The Art of Scraping Through

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly and Caleb enjoy a moment of domesticity. (Announcement in end notes)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have almost zero words for this. I know I've said this a million times, but OVER A YEAR. And it's finally done. It means the world to me that you all have read to this point. Commented your thoughts. Screamed with me. Each of you are so valuable to me. Thank you. Please see the end notes for some very important updates.
> 
> Fun fact, Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson was 66,950 words. I have officially surpassed that length at 67,648.
> 
> When I first outlined this story, it was estimated to be 8 chapters. And here we are. 15 chapters, an intro and an epilogue later. 
> 
> Please enjoy.

Three weeks later.

_ “State governor elections continue as Greg Abbot is looking to defend his position over first time candidate Edith Wilkenson. Edith, born and raised in Dripping Springs, has built her platform around small towns and family values. Her senior advisor, Francis A. Winslow, states ----” _

  
  


“Ugh. I’m really not a fan of election season… all the interesting stories get buried by political drabble…” Molly sat curled into the arm of Caleb’ couch, turning the volume down. 

“Local government is important, Molly. It affects everyone. Even us little people.” Caleb came back into the living room with a bowl of popcorn and set it on the table before turning to Nott and Beau. “Did you choose one yet?”

“Nott only ever wants to watch splatter films, so she wants ‘Hostel’.  _ Again _ .” Beau rolled her eyes before she threw herself into one of the arm chairs dramatically.

“Yeah, well, Beau only wants to watch cop movies and murder mysteries. I don’t want to watch ‘In the Shadow of the Moon’. This Lockharte character sounds like a crazy person!” Nott nearly screeched. 

The two of them started bickering, and Caleb sat on the couch with an exasperated huff. Molly’s hand found his, and the warmth of it was like a hug on its own. When he turned his head, he saw Molly with a soft smile. 

“We could always choose for them, dear. Bickering children shouldn’t get a reward,” Molly half-whispered.

“We’re not children!” Nott interrupted before returning to her argument with Beau, hardly missing a beat. 

Molly and Caleb both laughed as Caleb stood up again and grabbed one of the movies from the table at random and put it into the DVD player. He returned to the couch, sitting much closer than was technically necessary, Molly’s arm easily finding its way around Caleb’s shoulders. 

It had been nearly a month since their foolish adventure with the Rusalka. Fjord had ended up spending several days in the hospital, being monitored for any lasting brain damage from having been smashed through the glass aquarium. His team had been able to locate and arrest the man responsible for Moira Anders’ death, and there hadn’t been another drowning since Caleb destroyed her physical form. 

Beau had begun to get more comfortable in this modern setting, using some of the slang she heard from TV and customers. Nott had also started to teach her some of the more subtle abilities that spirits were able to do. Beau now often changed her clothing and appearance matching the fashion on TV or passing strangers on the streets, but always in shades of blue. Caleb and Molly were still searching for her story in the archives, though progress had been slowed by their injuries and the fact that Beau no longer posed a serious danger. 

Both Molly and Caleb had fully healed, with only a matching scar to prove they had experienced the trauma. Other than retelling the story to Fjord, they often skirted around talking about that day. 

Only a month since they had shared their first kiss. 

Molly had learned quickly that Caleb was modest in his physical affections. Kisses were rare, but it was worth waiting for every one. Each chaste touch of their lips was like a gift to be cherished. A balm to Molly’s racing heart. 

And slowly, so slowly, Caleb had begun to feel more comfortable with leaning on each other, an arm around the waist here and there, a linked arm when they went for dinner. 

Molly knew that Caleb still had secrets, things he kept close to his chest. But every moment he spent with Caleb Widogast, he felt himself grow more and more attached to the man. He knew that someday, something would drag Caleb’s demons into their lives, whether he was ready or not. 

But in that moment, with the opening credits to Forrest Gump scrolling on screen, he knew. He would be there for the wizard,  _ his  _ wizard. Either to help him back to the light or to sit with him in the dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've worked on this for so long... And this story has seen me through so many changes in my life: I lost my grandfather, I lost several campaigns and friends, I switched jobs, started cosplaying on TikTok, and went to a CR live show in my hometown. I'm beginning a campaign in Wildmount, and also writing a book about my last campaign that just ended as a personal project and gift to the DM, my boyfriend. But this story was there for all of it. 
> 
> I would like to think that thanks to my Betas, Mar and Code, I've become a better writer, and aware of my weak spots so I can continue to work on them. 
> 
> Now, for the part you've probably waited for. And most of you have probably guessed, yes. I do have a part two outlined. 
> 
> I have not begun working on it yet, as I mentioned above I just started my first campaign and I have a book (but the book is not a priority at the moment). Based on how long it took me to write the first one, it will likely be 9-12 months before I am ready to post part two. 
> 
> I will likely do something similar as I did with part one, posting previews as I work. So please subscribe here, and to the 'Paperback Wizard: A Preview' that is on my page, as I will likely announce here, and post there as I am writing. It is fully outlined and is just sitting there waiting to be written. 
> 
> Again, I am truly honored that you all stuck around to the end of this first chapter of this journey. I have so many plans for this universe if you can just be patient with me as I also navigate this crazy world we live in. (And also writer's block.)
> 
> Don't forget to love each other, and is it Thursday yet?


End file.
